The Return
by livetodiscover
Summary: Ric Dalby and Matilda Hunter return to Summer Bay. Why have they decided to come home? And what is in store for their relationship?
1. Chapter 1  Home Sweet Home

**Hi Everyone! This is my first Fanfic! This story is about Ric and Mattie when they return home to Summer Bay.**

**Please review! I would love to know what you all think. **

**ALL CHARACTERS AND PLACES ARE NOT MINE. ONLY STORYLINES.**

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><p><strong>The Return.<strong>

**Chapter One: Home Sweet Home**

**RicPOV**

"Hello!" I yelled as I walked through the door.

"Anybody home?" Matilda called. We walked into the living room and set our bags on the floor. As I lifted my head I saw a very familiar face.

"Streuth!" exclaimed Alf.

"Ric!" So good to see you!" he said while shaking my hand.

"And you too young Matilda!" pulling Mattie into a warm hug.

"Good to see you too Mr. Stewart." Mattie replied.

"Yeah Granddad, it's been a while huh?" I said.

"Yes, well, I'm sorry I haven't called you two in a while. Things have been so busy here I just haven't had the time. "

"That's okay" I replied.

"We've been pretty busy too." Mattie added.

"Well don't just stand there kids! Go sit down and I'll make us a cuppa."

Matilda was already sitting down on the sofa and was looking up at me with a grin on her face.

"It's good to be home." She said.

"Yeah", I replied sinking into the sofa "It really is.

**MatildaPOV**

"So what are you two doing in this neck of the woods?" asked Mr Stewart.

"Well we were kind of missing home." said Ric. "I mean, Perth is nice and all, but there is nothing like Summer Bay."

"Well you are right on that one." He replied handing us each a cup.

"So where are you kids staying?" Mr Stewart asked sipping his coffee.

"Well", I said, "we were thinking of maybe renting a caravan."

"Oh, well if you would find it more comfortable, you could just stay here in the house."

"Are you sure Mr Stewart?" I replied, "We wouldn't want to put you out."

"Nonsense! It would be no trouble at all love."

"If you're sure that's okay Granddad, we would love to stay here. "Said Ric.

Ric gave me a smile. Just as Mr Stewart was getting up to put away the cups, a woman wearing a hot pink shirt and really high stiletto's rushed in.

"Oh, Mr Stewart guess wha-"

"Oh, um, hello." She said with a small wave and an awkward smile.

"Mr Stewart", she said under her breath, "who are these lovely looking people?"

Mr Stewart says laughing "Don't worry Marilyn; this is my grandson Ric and his girlfriend Matilda."

"Mattie", I said smiling and holding out my hand.

"Oh this is the grandson!" she proclaimed and pulled us both into a hug.

"Um, yeah", replied Ric, "It's nice to meet you, uh, Marilyn." As she let go.

"Lovely to meet you." I chimed after him.

"I have heard so much about you two! She said. "And how is university going Matilda?"

"Um, yeah, it's good thanks." I replied smiling.

"How wonderful! Now can I get you anything to eat or drink? I can make this really delicious tofu sala-"

"No no, don't worry Marilyn love; we've already had a cuppa." Alf butted in.

"Oh, lovely!" she said smiling.

"Well, I'm sorry to be gone so soon but I have a shift at the diner. "She said hurriedly. "But I will be back later and we can have a nice long chat, how does that sound?"

"Yeah, good. Can't wait." Said Ric.

"Oh and would you not tell anyone that we are here? I think we would like to surprise them all later." I added.

"Oh, of course!" Marilyn said. "My lips are sealed! Bye!" she said while quickly rushing out the door.

"Phew!" exclaimed Alf. "We do love her but she can talk a mile minute when she's in a hurry!"

"Do you think she would mind us being here? And what about the others?" Ric asked running his hands through his hair.

"Oh, no she won't mind at all. I am sure the others will be fine with it. Your Aunt Ruth is staying with us at the moment too. You have never really met her in person yet."

"Yeah." Ric replied. "I think I talked to her on the phone a few times when Martha was staying with her."

"Yes, yes. I remember her saying something about that. Anyway, it will be good for her to meet you in person. "Mr Stewart then glanced over at our bags sitting by the door.

"Oh Streuth! I almost forgot. Come on Ric, grab those bags and I'll show you to your room." He picked up my case and Ric grabbed his.

"Come on Ric, you know the way." Said Alf gesturing to the stairs. Ric led us up with Mr Stewart at the rear. We stopped at the top and waited for Mr Stewart to show us to our room. He walked over to a very familiar looking door.

"Nobody is using this one at the moment." Alf said as he opened the door. "We have a bit of junk in here but that's easily removed." He said pointing towards a few cardboard boxes in the corner.

"Thanks Granddad!" Ric said his eyes sparkling as he looked around.

"Oh and one last thing. I'll be right back." Alf said and walked out of the room.

"Looks almost exactly the same." I said sitting down on the bed.

"Yeah." He replied as he handed me my bag. Mr Stewart came striding back in carrying something purple.

"I knew we still had this thing around somewhere." He exclaimed unfolding the purple fabric.

"Hey! It's our old doona cover!" Ric said.

"You still have it?" I asked Alf.

"Yes, we do. After you both left I just couldn't throw it away. I was going to send it over there for you but never got round to doing it."

"Well I'm glad you didn't." Ric said smiling. Alf chucked the doona cover at Ric's head and smiled.

"I will leave you kids to it." He said. "Give you some time to settle back in." He smiled at us and then started to walk towards the door. He stopped for a second and turned around,

"It's good to have you both home." He said his eyes twinkling.

"It's good to be home Granddad." Ric replied.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Review and let me know what you think! Will hopefully have the next chapter up in a few days. :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2 Memories

**Hi everyone! Hope you are enjoying it so far. This chapter is just a bit of rambling. With appearances from Ruby, Roo, Alf, Leah and Colleen.**

**Please Read and Review it would mean loads to get some feedback. Thanks and Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 2 – Memories**

**RicPOV**

Matilda and I were slowly trudging up the stairs hand in hand after saying goodnight to everyone. Marilyn had tried to convince Granddad that making tofu lasagna was a good idea but thank goodness he had already ordered something from the "new" restaurant "Angelo's".

"Remember that first time you stayed over?" I asked Mattie as we walked through the doors of our room. "And you climbed in through that window?" I pointed to the window alongside the bed.

"Yep." She giggled.

"And I was hungry so you went downstairs and got me some cake!"

"And Brad was out there hiding in the lounge the whole time!" I said.

We laughed. This house held a lot of memories for us. Good and bad.

"Remember when you were going on trial for that case with Rocco?" she whispered softly.

"And we lay here and I told you that everything would be okay."

"Yeah, I remember." I replied and kissed her forehead softly.

"I wouldn't have been able to go through that without you."

**MatildaPOV**

We spent the next hour or so remembering all the things that happened to us while we lived in Summer Bay. When I first moved here and was a snob that only spoke in French. How Ric used to tease my brother Henry in school because he did tap dancing. When Ric ran away because he thought he killed his father. When Alf told him he was his grandson. When I suffered from bulimia. The countless times we had had a fight and briefly broken up. We also talked about all the good times. All of our friends, Lucas, Belle, Cassie. All the moments we shared together in this room.

"Even though we had our fair share of terrible things happening to us here, it has always felt like the place we most belong." I said

"Yeah, and also cause I love the beach." Ric said grinning.

I gave him a little shove.

"We can go tomorrow," I said "and have breakfast at the diner."

"Sounds good." Ric yawned.

"Tired?" I asked.

"Yeah, just a bit." He replied.

We had spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with Mr Stewart and meeting the other people in the house. Ric's Aunt Roo (Ruth), Ruby and of course Marilyn. They were all really bubbly and friendly. Ruby was going to come down with us to the diner because it had been moved since the last time we were here.

"I love you Mattie." Ric whispered interrupting my thoughts.

"I love you too Ric." I replied and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm glad that you're still here with me." He said.

"So am I babe, so am I." I said back to him. I reached over to the nightstand and turned out the light.

**RicPOV**

I woke up to a thud. I opened my eyes and saw Mattie looking at me sheepishly. Her suitcase lay upturned on the floor.

"What are you doing babe?" I asked. "It's only-"I looked over to the clock next to the bed, "7.30 in the morning."

"I know, I know I'm sorry for waking you up. I was trying to look for my swimming costume."

"Are you going for a swim already?" I asked.

"Maybe," she replied, "as soon as I got up this morning I tried getting back to sleep but it didn't really work. And I haven't been down to the beach yet. Ruby is already up and going for a surf so I'm going to join her. Want to come?" she asked.

"Sure," I replied, "just give me a minute; I'll be down in a sec." giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, I'll be downstairs." She said and walked out the door.

I watched her walk out and then flopped back onto the bed.

"Too early." I mumbled into my pillow. After a few more seconds I got up and quickly got changed. I walked downstairs and saw Mattie and Ruby sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"Ready to go?" I asked. Both girls nodding swallowing their coffee. They popped their cups in the sink and we started off to the beach.

**MatildaPOV**

The sea looked perfect. The water was crystal clear and the sand looked sparkly. The waves were crashing against the shore and the seagulls were flying around. I looked over at Ric who was deeply breathing in the sea breeze.

"Last one in buys breakfast!" Ruby yelled as she grabbed her board and ran out to the ocean. Ric picked me up and started running into the waves.

"Don't chuck me in!" I squealed.

"Never!" said Ric with a sly look on his face. He started swinging me round, almost as if he was about to let go. He then stopped abruptly and carefully lowered me closer to the water.

"Is it cold?" I asked.

"Well your soon going to find out!" he said and dropped me in.

"Ric!" I screamed. Then I realized that the water was warm. I gave him a devious look and started to splash him. In the midst of our water fight Ruby said sarcastically

"Man, you guys are mature!"

"Really?" Ric said. He looked at me. I looked back at him. He nodded and we both started running towards her splashing water. We must have looked crazy out there. Like a bunch of little kids. But we didn't care. We were having too much fun.

**RicPOV **

Mattie and I got out and started running back up to our towels. Ruby was going to surf for a bit longer and then meet us at the diner. We walked inside and went up to a blonde girl at the register.

"Hi, what can I get you?" she asked.

"Um, yeah does a woman named Leah work here?" I asked

"Did someone want me?" Leah said poking her head around the corner.

"Ric! Mattie! What are you two doing here!" she said as soon as she saw us.

"Getting breakfast I think." Mattie replied sarcastically. She came out from behind the counter to give us both a hug.

"It's been so long! How are things going in Perth?"

"Really good. I only have one more year left on this course and I'm all done!" Mattie replied.

"Oh well done you!" she said to Mattie.

"And how are things going with you Ric?"

"Yeah, good thanks." She smiled at us.

"Oh come here you two!" she said pulling us into another hug.

"So what can I get you? It's on the house!" Leah asked.

"Two lattes and eggs, bacon and toast and…." I looked at Mattie.

"Just a blueberry muffin for me thanks." Mattie said.

"Okay coming right up!" she smiled and took our order over to the blonde girl.

Ruby came and ordered some breakfast. Granddad and Aunty Roo popped in as well and got a cup of tea.

"Oh Leah, you wouldn't believe what I heard Betty Al-"

"Eric Dalby! Matilda!" yelled Colleen as she saw us.

"Oh stone the flamin' crows." Granddad muttered under his breath.

"Hi Colleen" I said.

"Hi Mrs Smart." said Mattie smiling.

"What on earth are you two doing here in Summer Bay!" Colleen said quizzically.

"Just visiting." I replied. Leah and Roo smiled watching Colleen start ranting on about how long it has been and how we never called or wrote.

"Oh, calm down woman!" said Alf.

"Well I'm sorry I'm just excited to see the lovely pair." Said Colleen very matter-of-factly.

"It's good to see you too Colleen." Mattie said. Man, I thought. Barely been here 2 days and it already feels like we have never left.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this Chapter! Please R and R! Let me know what you think. Next Chapter should be up in the next week.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3 Meeting a Country Singer

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! Hope you are enjoying the story so far. This story holds some very important info, and a bit of rambling. Hope you like it!**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 3 – Meeting a Country Singer.**

**RicPOV**

I looked over at Matilda, who was having a very intense conversation about Uni with the blonde girl at the diner. Indi (?) she said her name was. Granddad was having an argument with Colleen about the bathrooms in the caravan park.

"They really ought to be fixed Alf." She said.

"That shower is always cold and the taps don't work properly! How am I supposed to hav-"

"Alright, alright Colleen! I'll get someone to come in and look at it this afternoon. Keep your head on woman!" He replied.

"I just asked you a question!" she muttered in reply while walking back behind the counter.

Granddad rolled his eyes at me. I chuckled in response. We sat in silence for a while, Granddad reading the paper. His eyes then suddenly looked at me and he asked.

"Oh by the way Ric, you never told me why you and young Matilda are here. Not that I don't like having you both around though."

I quickly glanced at Mattie. She was still in deep conversation with Indi about trying to revolve around work and school, or something like that.

"Well", I said quietly, "Mattie thinks we are just here for a short visit but I wanted to come back here because I wanted to ask her to marry me."

Alf looked at me with wide eyes. His lips slowly turned upwards into a huge grin.

"Well congratulations Ric! I was wondering when you were getting round to doing it."

"Yeah, well we were both so busy with work and school. And proposing in Perth didn't really seem right. I wanted us both to be here. And I was hoping you would help me with something…." I said with a sly grin on my face.

"Of course Ric, whatever you need."

I quickly glanced over at Mattie. She and Indi were saying goodbye.

"Okay Granddad, thanks. I will talk to you a bit later."

"Righto. I will see you later then." He replied. "Bye Matilda love." He said smiling.

"Bye Mr Stewart." She replied as he walked out the door, saying goodbye to Leah and Indi as he left. Turning around to face me she asked

"Ready to go?"

"Yup, when you are." I replied.

"Okay, Bye Indi!" She said as she waved to Indi and grabbed my hand. We slowly walked out the door and back into the fresh air.

"Did you have a nice talk with Indi?" I asked as we stepped outside.

"Yeah, she's on her first year at Uni, taking Business Studies."

"Nice." I replied.

"Hey, want to go see Irene?" she asked.

"She doesn't know we are back yet."

"Come on then, what are we waiting for?" I said grinning.

I grabbed her hand and we starting walking down to the beach.

**MatildaPOV**

"Hello! Irene! Are home?" I called out.

I saw Irene's red hair bobbing down the stairs.

"Oh Matilda love! Ric!" she said as soon as she saw us. "What are you two little ratbags doing here and not in Perth! She said grinning.

"We decided to come for a visit." I said as she came over to hug us both.

"Yeah, I thought Granddad could use some more male company in the house" I said smiling.

"Oh, yes! Poor darl, having all those women in the house. Don't know how much longer he could have lived with the girlies and all of Marilyn's tofu casseroles!" she said laughing.

"Yeah, thankfully, we have not had the pleasure of eating anything "tofu" related yet." Mattie said her eyes sparkling.

"Well I am sure that day will soon come darlin. You had better be ready! Anyway you two come and sit down! Get me caught up with all the goss from Perth!" Irene said gesturing to the sofa. We sat down and Ric started telling her about work and this short course he was taking in mechanics. I looked around and noticed a picture of Liam Murphy and this beautiful blonde woman sitting on the shelf.

"You know Liam Murphy!" I said, butting into Ric's and Irene's conversation.

"Yes darl, I do. He actually happens to live in this very house. "

"I used to listen to his songs on the radio while I was driving to school!" I said.

"Well I'm sure he would be pleased to hear that love." Irene replied grinning.

Ric chuckled,

"She always listened to him on the radio, I think I know all his songs off by heart!"

"Who knows all my songs off by heart?" I deep voice said. I turned around and saw the one, the only, Liam Murphy walking casually through the kitchen toothpick in mouth. Ric looked starstruck.

"Liam love, this is Ric and Matilda, some old friends of mine." Irene introduced us. Liam walked over to me and gave me a hug,

"Nice to meet you Matilda."

"Just call me Mattie" I said. He smiled at me. Then he walked over to Ric, who I could tell was trying to figure out how to close his mouth.

"Hey there man, nice to meet you. I'm Liam." He said while shaking Ric's hand.

"Um, ah, nice to me-meet you too Liam." Ric stuttered. I giggled softly. That knocked him out of his daze.

"We like your music." Ric said

"Well thank you." Liam replied.

"Liam darl, what do you want for dinner?" Irene asked.

"Oh sorry Irene, I have a late shift at Angelo's. Brax is busy so I may have to uh, babysit the restaurant tonight." Liam replied with an "I'm sorry" look on his face.

"That's alright love; could you maybe take my order in with you and get Bianca to pick it up on her way home?"

"Sure Irene." Liam said. "Do you want a drink?" he said gesturing to us.

"Oh no thanks." I replied. "We had better get going and see what tofu special is on the menu tonight." I said laughing.

"Ah, living with Marilyn huh?" Liam said.

"Yeah. Alf is my grandfather. We kind of had no say in where we stayed." Said Ric.

"Oh wow, so you really do have no option of backing out of the tofu recipes! When I stayed in the caravan park she used to "let me" help her out by testing her latest concoctions. That was not a pretty sight." Liam said laughing.

"Well anyway, we had better get going. It was good to see you again Irene." I said. "And nice to meet you Liam."

"Yeah, you too."

"I guess we will see you around then." I said. "You too Irene."

"Yes Mattie love, come back again soon and meet the other girlies."

"Will do." I replied. Ric and I hugged Irene and I grabbed his hand as we walked towards the door.

"Bye!" we called out. And we started walking back along the road home.

"Speaking about it, I wonder what we are going to eat tonight." Ric asked. I shrugged and said,

"If it looks a bit weird will you eat it for me?" I asked sweetly.

"Of course, anything for you baby." Ric replied putting his arm around my waist and kissing my forehead. As we walked home slowly hand in hand, I knew that Ric is the one for me.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please R and R! It would mean a lot to get some more feedback! Let me know if there is anything you want to happen to the storyline. Next chapter should be up in a few days. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4 It's Time

**Hey everyone. Sorry it took a while for this chapter. I was a bit busy this week. Hope you enjoy! R and R! **

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><p><strong>The Return <strong>

**Chapter 4 **- It's Time****

**RicPOV**

So the stage was set. Granddad had pulled a few strings and got a little houseboat for me. While Mattie had been out with Leah, Granddad and I got the boat pulled into his mooring and got the place ready. I planned to take Mattie out for a cruise around the bay for a few days. I hid the ring safely away in the boat. I got it a few months ago in this little jewelry store in Perth. It was perfect. Mattie had always wanted a ring like this. It had little diamonds set in the thin band and a big round, old European cut diamond in the middle ***(see blog for picture)**. I heard Mattie talking with Granddad outside,

"Is he inside?" she asked

"Yes, love. I think he's in the kitchen."

"Thanks Mr Stewart." I heard her say and the next second she was inside. She saw me and gave me a huge smile.

"Hey there." She said.

"Hey there to you too." I replied giving her hug.

"How's Leah? I asked.

"Good "she replied.

"We had a quick coffee at the diner. Saw VJ too. He's gotten bigger.

"Ha, I'll bet." I replied.

Then Granddad came walking in.

"So have you asked her yet?" he asked

"Asked me what?" Mattie said turning to me.

"Well…. We are going on a little trip." I said.

"Where to?" she said quizzically. I smiled and shook my head.

"It's a surprise." I said

"Just pack your bag and meet me down at the ramp by the river.

"Oh Kay?" she said and turned towards the stairs.

"Don't take too long" I said whirling her round to give me a kiss.

"I promise." She said giving me another kiss on the cheek.

"I'm going to hold you to that!" I called out laughing as she giggled and ran upstairs.

I said "thanks again" to Granddad and grabbed my bag by the door.

As soon as I got to the boat I put my bag in the bedroom and turned on the glittery fairy lights strung around the deck on the back of the boat. I put some champagne in an ice bucket and checked the cupboards in the kitchen. I opened the cookie jar to double check the ring was safely hidden out of sight. I was so busy that I hadn't noticed Mattie arrive. I heard a gasp and spun around to see Mattie holding her bag and looking in awe at the boat.

"What's this?" she asked still shocked.

"Just a little something. "I replied smiling cheekily. I jumped out of the boat and took her bag out of her hand.

"Come on." I said and helped her onto the boat.

"This is beautiful Ric." She said giving me a hug.

"Not as beautiful as you." I replied. She blushed slightly.

"Well, are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Go where?" she replied.

"Anywhere." I said grinning slyly.

"I'm in." she said smiling back and kissing me. I went over and undid the rope from around a pole on the ramp. I walked to the wheel and started her up.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready." She replied. She came over and put her arms around my waist as I drove the boat out of the little bay.

Keeping close to land we drove for a while and then pulled into another little bay. I turned off the engine and threw the anchor out.

"Time for some champers." I said grinning. We went out to the deck and I grabbed the nice cold champagne from the bucket. I popped the cork and poured us each a glass.

"Cheers," I said. "Cheers to coming home."

"I'll drink to that." Mattie replied laughing as we each took a sip. We walked over to the little sofa on the side of the deck. We sat down and I put my arm around her.

"I love you Ric." She whispered.

"I love you too." I replied kissing her forehead. We sat there in silence listening to the water around us and looking up at the twinkling lights. The moment was perfect. I just had to do it. It's time, I thought to myself. I got up and said to Mattie,

"Wait right here, I'll be back in a second."

"Okay." She replied letting me go.

**MattiePOV**

I watched Ric walk inside the boat. It was so beautiful, sitting out here breathing in that clean sea air while the boat was slowly rocking. It was so much calmer here than in the city. I was gazing at the sunset when I heard Ric come back. He was looking a bit nervous.

"What's up?" I said worried.

"Nothing" Ric replied. "But you might want to put that down." He said gesturing to the wine glass.

"Okay?" I said putting it down. He walked towards me slowly. He grabbed my hands and then slowly got down on one knee. Oh my gosh, this can't be happening, I thought a tear coming to my eyes. Ric took a deep breath and said,

"Matilda, I love you so much. I was going to wait until later, but it seemed right doing this now. You are my everything, my whole world. From that first time we met back in high school I knew you were going to be a big part of my life. I was a real idiot back then, but you put up with me. You have helped me when I most needed it. You were my rock and what kept me going through all those hard times. And I want to spend the rest of my life being _you're _rock. The person that will always be there for you, the shoulder to cry on, and the one that makes you laugh. I love you with everything I have. Will you, Matilda Harriet Jane Hunter, do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?

I had tears running down my face as I said the most important word I would ever say,

"Yes" I replied

"Yes, yes, yes, yes." I said as he slid the ring on my finger. I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck as he kissed me. He smiled at me and said,

"I love you Matilda Hunter."

"I love you too Eric Dalby." I replied kissing him again.

"So, how about we take this inside?" he said winking as he pointed to the champagne.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." I replied slyly. He grabbed the bottle and swung me up into his arms. He brought his mouth down to mine and kissed me deeply as he walked over to the door of the boat. He carried me over the threshold and kicked the door closed with his foot.

"Ready Mrs Dalby?" he asked.

"Ready Mr Dalby." I replied grinning as he walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

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><p><strong>* See profile for blog link<strong>

**Hope you like this chapter! Please Read and Review. It would mean heaps to get your feedback. Let me know what you think.**

**Next Chapter should be up in the next few days. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5  A Day of Bliss

**Hey Everyone! Sorry it has been a while since I uploaded. Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 5 – A Day of Bliss**

**MattiePOV**

I could feel my head rising as Ric breathed in. My head was lying on his chest. I looked down at my hand and saw that beautiful ring on my finger. I looked at Ric's face, and a little smile crept to his lips. He knew I was awake.

"What are you looking at?" he mumbled keeping his eyes closed.

"Nothing." I said

"You sure about that?" he replied, one eye peeking open. He caught me.

"Stop staring. It's creepy." He mumbled trying not to crack a smile. He loved it, I could tell.

"You love it." I said.

"Well, maybe just a bit." He said opening his eyes. He looked up at me.

"Do you want some breakfast?" he asked.

"In bed? Yes please!"

"Actually, I was just asking if you _wanted_ breakfast, not that I was going to make it." He said a cheeky grin on his face. I hit him on the head with a pillow.

"Kidding, kidding!" he laughed.

"So, bacon and eggs?" he asked.

"Sounds good babe." I replied.

"Coming right up." He said. He gave me a quick kiss and dragged himself out of bed. I watched him walk out of the room and into the little kitchen. He grabbed some food and then went out onto the deck to start up the barbeque. I lay in bed looking up at the roof remembering all the things Ric said to me yesterday, and I knew he meant every one of them. I wonder if anyone else knew he was going to propose. Mr Stewart probably. He and Ric talk about everything. I can't wait till we get home so we can tell everyone.

I was in my own little dream world, until I smelt the bacon. I grabbed a silk dressing gown and pulled myself out of bed. I padded out barefoot onto the deck to see Ric, standing there in his boxer shorts, cooking bacon. What a sight.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Not anymore." He replied kissing my nose. He flipped the bacon out onto the plates, which already had two eggs waiting. He grabbed a couple of pieces of toast from the toaster and popped them onto the plates next to the bacon. He handed them to me and I walked over and set them on the table.

We sat around lazily eating breakfast as the sun shone on our backs. The sunlight sparkled against the water and I could hear the birds chirping.

"You up for a swim?" Ric asked as I was gazing out the window.

"Sure, let me just put away the dishes." I said as he handed me the last plate.

He gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked into the bedroom to get ready. I slowly dried it, and put it up on the shelf in a neatly stacked pile. Ric came walking out wearing his yellow shorts.

"You still have those!" I laughed.

"Of course I do! These are the coolest boardies ever!" he said with a shocked look on his face.

"Do you remember when you first got them? And you, Cassie and I all went for a walk on the beach that day?" I asked.

"Yup, she dissed my shorts too." Ric said nodding.

"Well, we didn't exactly "diss" them." I said

"We just said they were a bit bright."

"Eh, oh well. I know you like them now." Ric said prancing around the little kitchen."

"Even if you don't you are going to have to get used to them Mrs. Dalby." He said teasing. He slapped me on the butt and ran out the door.

"Hey!" I protested giggling as I heard a splash and Ric yelling out

"Come on Mattie!"

"Coming!" I said as I quickly ran into the bedroom to get dressed.

**RicPOV**

I looked over at Mattie, who was on one of the lounge chairs, her big Oakley sunnies **(pic on blog)** covering her eyes and her hair pulled back in a messy bun. She was lying on her stomach reading a magazine. I thought to myself, how did I get so lucky? She is beautiful, smart, laughs at my jokes and loves me, of all people. I was snapped out of my daydream when Matilda said

"What are you looking at?" I think I had been absentmindedly staring at her butt.

"Oh, nothing." I said

"Yeah right." She replied laughing.

"I knew you were checking me out."

"So," I said changing the subject, "What do you want for dinner?

"We have some sausages I think." I said getting up and walking over to pick up the plates left from lunch.

"Yeah, sounds good." She replied.

"We should probably head back tomorrow." I

"So we can let everyone know our news."

"Maybe we should just tell Colleen." Mattie said

"The whole town will know within minutes!"

"Good plan." I said laughing. I flopped back onto the chair I was sitting on. Mattie put her magazine down on her chair and propped her sunglasses up on the top of her head.

"I love you, do you know that?" she said.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me." She got up and came and sat next to me. I put my arm around her.

"And you're the best thing to ever happen to me." I replied

"I don't know where I would be without you." She smiled at me tenderly and I whispered

"I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered back. I pulled her in for a kiss. The sun was setting around us and I was blissfully happy.

**MattiePOV**

Ric was turning the snarlers on the barbeque. The night air was getting cooler so I threw on a soft baggy woolen cardigan over my shorts and tank top. I grabbed Ric's sweater and brought it out for him.

"Thanks baby." He said giving me a kiss as I handed it to him.

"S'okay" I replied. I walked out to the edge of the deck and looked over at the water. It was completely calm, not one little rip. The sun was slowly disappearing along the horizon and the sky was lit up all pink and orange. I breathed in a gulp of fresh sea air.

"Soon we are going to have to get back to reality" Ric said coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I know." I replied.

"But at least in both worlds we're together." I said turning around to face him.

I leaned in for a kiss. Ric held me tight. After a moment Ric pulled away.

"You hungry?" he asked

"Starving." I replied

"How did you know?"

"Your stomach was rumbling." He said

"Oh." I giggled. He led me inside and we sat down.

"What time do you want to head off?" I asked.

"Whenever you want." He replied

"As long as we get back before sunset I think we should be good."

"Okay" I said.

"So did anyone know that we were getting engaged?" I asked cutting into a sausage.

"Just Granddad." He replied.

"I kind of proposed to him with the ring first." He shrugged.

"You what!" I squealed trying not to laugh.

"Well, I didn't know how I was going to do it. I had this whole thing speech thing planned but in the end I kind of winged it. Granddad was the test dummy."

"So how did you rope him in to being proposed too?" I asked

"Well, he kinda didn't have a choice. He was walking down the stairs so I sort of launched into my speech."

"He must have enjoyed that!" I said laughing.

"Yeah, He looked at me like I was a bit of a loony." Ric said shrugging.

"Well, being a loony paid off didn't it?" I said.

"Yes it did." He replied as he reached over and grabbed my hand. He grabbed his wine glass.

"To being a loony and taking a chance." He said raising his glass

"To being a loony and taking a chance." I repeated holding my glass against his. I took a sip and then leaned over the table and said

"Thank you for taking a chance on me."

"Always." He replied kissing me. Then a mosquito had to come and ruin the moment by buzzing around our heads. We pulled apart and Ric clapped his hands over it.

"My hero!" I laughed.

"Anytime, anywhere." He replied leaning back in to kiss me.

"I'm going to hold you to that someday." I said before placing my lips on his.

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><p><strong>Hope you all like this chapter. Please R and R. It means a lot to get feedback. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6 An Early Start

**Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 6: An Early Start**

**RicPOV**

I slowly turned the wheel as we pulled into the little dock by Granddad's mooring. I had gotten up early that morning to get back earlier. I left Mattie sleeping in the bedroom tucking a pillow in next to her where I had been. I jumped out of the boat and pulled the rope around the post.

"Ric?" I heard Mattie mumble

"Where are you?"

"Out here!" I called. I walked into the room and saw Mattie sitting on the bed, on top of the crumpled bed sheets with her messy hair cascading around her shoulders.

"What were you doing?" she asked yawning as I pulled her into a soft hug.

"Just driving us home." I replied with a cheeky grin on my face.

"What!" she said

"We're home?"

"Yep, got up early this morning to drive us back so we didn't have to waste the day." I said. She smiled at me sitting up on her knees and put her arms around my neck.

"What would I do without you?" she said.

"Probably nothing." I replied with a very cynical look. She batted me on the head with a pillow.

"Cheeky." She muttered and then pulled me in for a kiss. After a moment we pulled away and I said,

'Wanna get dressed and go for breakfast at the diner?

"Sounds good, just give me a minute while a wrestle with this birds nest like hair." She replied grinning. I laughed,

"Sure babe, I'll start packing up." I got up of the bed and kissed the top of her head. I started grabbing clothing off the chair and picking up shoes off the floor. I heard Mattie in the bathroom grumbling, probably looking at her hair. I think she'll need more than a minute to detangle that mop. I chuckled; this is going to be a long day I thought to myself.

**MattiePOV**

After spending around 30 minutes getting ready (including 10 minutes trying to detangle my hair) we were finally on our way to the diner. We decided to take the long way so we could walk along the beach. It was still kind of early, so we hadn't really seen anyone yet. Just a few people going for an early morning surf. We started walking up towards the bank. I saw Leah putting out the bins. She looked up and saw us.

"Oh, hey you guys! I didn't think you were coming back for a few days." She said quizzically.

"Yeah" Ric replied.

"We were, but then we decided we would rather be here with all of you guys instead."

"Aww, that's sweet." Leah said.

"So are you guys coming in for breakfast?" she asked

"Yep" Mattie replied. "We were just heading in there." We all started walking into the diner. We saw Indi at the counter.

"Hey" she said

"Hey Indi." Mattie replied.

"Hi" I added.

"So, what can I get you guys." She asked

"Can I get the big bagel and a coffee, and Mattie?" Ric said gesturing to me.

"Just some scrambled eggs on toast and a coffee, decaf." I added.

"Cool, let me just get that for you." Indi said smiling.

"Thanks." I replied and we went to sit a little table. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mr Stewart walk in through the side door with Roo trailing beside him.

"Granddad! Aunty Roo!" Ric called out waving.

"Ric! Mattie love!" Mr Stewart replied as he and Roo walked towards us.

"Didn't think we'd be seeing you two for a while." he said winking.

"Yeah, hi guys." Roo added giving us both hugs.

"Neither did we." Ric replied

"But we decided to come home a bit early."

"What was the rush?" Roo asked.

"No major reason." I said grinning softly at Ric. He grinned back.

"So anyway guys." Ric said

"Mattie and I were wondering if we could have a bit of a get together this afternoon. At the house? He asked.

"Yeah sure" Mr Stewart replied.

"Yeah, sounds good." Roo added

"What's the occasion?"

"Well, since we haven't been back for very long and we haven't really had time to catch up with everyone properly yet, or meet the newbies." Ric said cheekily.

Roo laughed and Mr Stewart chuckled.

"Yeah that sounds fine guys, do you want us help out by telling everyone? Roo asked.

"Yeah that would be great Aunty Roo." Ric replied.

"And we were wondering who we can ask about getting a bit of catering done as well?"

"Oh, well I'm sure Leah can get something organized." Roo said.

"Let's go ask, I'll get us some coffee's too, kay Dad?"

"Sure love." Mr Stewart replied. Roo and Ric started walking up to the counter. Indi brought our food to our table.

"Here you go." She said putting it down.

"Thanks." I said smiling. She started to walk away.

"Hey Indi!" I called. She whirled around.

"We are having a get together this afternoon." I said.

"Do you want to come?" I asked. She smiled.

"Yeah, that would be great." She said.

"Thanks."

"No problem." I replied.

"Yes and bring young Romeo as well." Mr Stewart added.

"Yeah, more the merrier." I said.

She smiled and walked back towards the counter.

"Lovely young girl that one." Mr Stewart said.

"Anyway Mattie love, congratulations." He said giving me a hug.

"Thanks Mr Stewart." I said catching Ric's eye. He winked at me. I smiled and mouthed "I love you." He mouthed back "I love you too."

"So then." Mr Stewart said releasing me from his embrace.

"Let's see the sparkler then." He said gesturing to my hand. I blushed and put my hand out for him to see.

"Phew, he sure knows how to pick them." He said whistling.

"Yeah, it's beautiful." I added. We heard Ric and Roo coming. Mr Stewart let go of my hand and put his finger to his lips letting me know he wouldn't tell Roo. "Thanks" I mouthed. He grinned at me. Roo was talking about some sort of sandwiches or something.

"All sorted?" I asked Ric.

"Yup." He replied giving me a quick kiss.

"All sorted." He repeated. Roo handed Mr Stewart a coffee.

"Here you go Dad." She said.

"Thanks love." He replied.

"Well, we'll get out of your hair then." He said to Ric and I.

"See you two later." Roo added.

"See you." I said as they walked out the door. Ric grinned.

"She doesn't suspect anything." He said grinning.

"This is going to be the most secret engagement party ever."

"Yes it is." I said kissing him.

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><p>Hope you all like this chapter. Please R and R! Next Chapter should be up soon. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7 The Party

**Hey guys. Sorry it has been ages since I updated. I have been really busy lately. So here is Chapter 7. Hope you enjoy! **

* * *

><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 7 - The Party**

**RicPOV**

"Hey Mattie! Did you call Irene?" I yelled up the stairs.

"Yup!" she replied popping her head over the banister.

"Did you remind her it was a formal get together?" I asked

"Yeah" she replied. "She sounded excited because she and Bianca went out shopping the other day and got some new dresses."

"Sounds good." I replied

"So have you got the catering all organized?" she asked walking down the stairs.

"Yeah, Leah and Colleen are bringing it all over after their shifts at the diner." I replied as we walked into the living room. Granddad was standing on a ladder in the middle of the room putting lights on the roof with masking tape.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Just hanging some lights and crepe paper." He said.

"Oh Mr Stewart! You don't have to do that!" Mattie said helping him down.

"No love, I wanted too." He replied smiling at her.

"This is a _very _important party. I had to do something." He said.

"This is also why I have also got the bill covered for all of the catering." He added.

"Granddad!" I said.

"You didn't have to do that!" Mattie said again.

"Like I said you two. I wanted to do this. Think of it as an engagement present." He said. I grabbed his hand and shook it.

"Thanks Granddad." I said. Mattie leaned over and gave him a hug.

"Yeah, Thanks Mr Stewart." She added.

"Oh now look you two, let's not have a sob fest alright!" He said with a slight smile on his face.

"Now, I will go help the girls down at the diner, and bring all the food over here and you two go upstairs and get ready, and Ric, I bought some bottles of champers can you put them in an ice bucket?" he asked

"Yeah, sure." I replied

"Okay, I'll be off then, see you guys in a minute." He said and put his hat on his head. He gave us a wave and walked out the door.

"You ready for this?" I asked Mattie.

"Ready for us, definitely." She replied pulling me in close.

"C'mon, let's get ready, you go on up and I'll put the champagne in a bucket." I said.

"Okay." She replied.

"I'll be up in a sec" I said as she turned to walk up the stairs. She turned around and gave me a smile.

"I'll be waiting." She said with a grin on her face. I chuckled. I went into the laundry room where there was a big freezer. I pulled out a few bags of ice and a big metal tub. I hauled it out to the back porch, dumped the ice in and then put the bottles of champagne from the box in the kitchen into the ice tub. I grabbed a few bottles of juice and some soft drinks and put them in as well. I ran up the stairs and went into our room. Mattie was standing in front of the closet, slowly pulling out a dress, looking at it for a moment and then putting it back in and grabbing another one. "_Women!"_ I thought to myself. I could be in for a long afternoon.

**MattiePOV**

"_Okay Mattie" _I thought to myself _"This is just an ordinary party, just pick a dress." _

"You okay there?" Ric said coming up behind me, interrupting my argument I was having with myself.

"I don't know what to wear!" I said exasperated.

"Mattie," Ric said taking hold of my hands

"It doesn't matter if you wear a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, you will still look beautiful."

"Thanks babe. But you know what I mean!" I said.

"Okay," he said pulling a dress out of the wardrobe,

"How about this one?" He held it up. It was a strapless, pink, white and yellow floral sundress.

"Too casual." I replied. He sighed and put it back in. He pulled out another one.

"What about this one." It was a long black evening gown.

"Too formal." I replied.

"Man you're a hard woman too please!" Ric said with a slight grin on his face.

"Well Ric," I said

"You had better learn to put up with it since you're going to marry me!" He grinned and said

"I know, and I love you for it" pulling me in a giving me a kiss.

"…..but please can you just pick out a dress!" He pulled out another one.

"Okay. What about this one?" he asked.

"It's perfect." I replied. It was a gold tulle strapless dress.** (Pic on blog)**

"But I don't think this is mine babe." I said looking at it again.

"Yes it is." Ric said.

"Because I got it for you. I thought you would need something like this to wear for a "special" occasion." I looked at the dress and noticed the brand label on the inside.

"Oscar de la Renta!" I squealed.

"You got me an Oscar de la Renta dress! But they cost like a gazillion dollars!" I said wincing.

"Well, not quite a gazillion." Ric said.

"But it was worth it babe. You are going to look absolutely beautiful." He said cupping my face in his hands. He pulled my face towards his and I kissed him long and hard.

"Thank you Ric," I breathed softly "It's beautiful." I let go of his hand and bent down to grab a pair of black heels from the wardrobe floor.

"Perfect." I said. I walked over to the dressing table and started doing my make-up. I kept it fairly simple with a bronze eye shadow and mascara with a bit of nude colored lipstick and a sweep of clear gloss over the top. I pulled my hair into a soft messy bun on the top of my head. While I was doing this Ric had taken out the ironing board and was ironing some black dress pants.

Ric was slowly zipping up the back of my dress when someone knocked on the door.

"Knock knock!" I heard someone call out.

"Come in!" Ric yelled. Roo popped her head round the corner.

"We're ready for you." She said.

"Okay, on our way." I said quickly checking my hair in the mirror. I glanced down at the ring on my finger and smiled to myself. Ric grabbed my hand and we walked down the stairs after Roo. Everyone was standing in the living room or the kitchen with a drink in hand, talking to each other. I pulled Ric over to the kitchen saying hi to Leah and VJ and thanking her for the catering.

"Oh not a problem." She said. Liam and Bianca were handing out drinks. Liam handed me a glass

"Thanks." I said

"No problem." Liam replied.

I grabbed a glass of wine for myself and handed one to Ric.

"You ready for this?" Ric said softly whispering in my ear and pulling me into the middle of the living room.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I said smiling at him.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too Ric." I replied giving him a quick kiss. Ric cleared his throat.

"Excuse me everyone! Can I have a second or two of your attention please!" he said. I glanced over at Mr Stewart standing in the back with Roo. He gave me a wink. Everyone hushed and turned to look at us.

"Mattie and I would like to thank you all for coming." Ric started putting his arm around my waist.

"We would like to let you know that we appreciate all of you, our family and friends for being with us tonight. As most of you will know, Mattie and I have been living in Perth for the last three or so years now, and we decided to come home for a while. Summer Bay really has been a home for us, and not because of the houses we lived in, but because of all the people that made it feel like home. Thank you for welcoming us back and introducing us to some wonderful new people,"

I glanced over at Indi and her husband Romeo and gave them a smile, "And because you are all so special to us, we would like to share some special news with you."

Ric looked over at me and smiled. "Now I know some of you thought this would have happened a long time ago, but this is not just a get together with the town so we can all catch up… well, it kind of is- but anyway, this also doubles as our engagement party." I heard all the squeals of joy and everyone started beaming. Colleen yelled out

"I knew it! I knew it!" and everyone started to laugh. Everyone started coming towards us. Ruby was looking at my ring and exclaiming how beautiful it was and nudging Ric saying "Man, I didn't think you had that good a taste!", and people were asking questions and congratulating us. Mr Stewart started tapping his wine glass.

"I would like to propose a toast!" he said

"To Ric and Mattie!" he said raising his glass.

"To Ric and Mattie!" everyone yelled out in unison.

I turned to Ric and he turned towards me, he pulled me close and gave me a long kiss.

"I love you" he whispered while everyone was cheering.

"I love you too Ric." I replied and we turned as everyone enveloped us in a big hug.

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><p><strong>*To view any of the pictures mentioned in my story, the link to my blog is on my profile page :)<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please R and R! If you have any ideas or anything you want to happen in the next few chapters please let me know. Thanks for reading. Next chapter should (*fingers crossed*) be up soon. **

**Love Elise x**


	8. Chapter 8 A Family Affair

**Hey everyone! since I was so slack with updates last week, here's another chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 8 – A Family Affair**

**MattiePOV **

I was standing there with my glass of wine in hand and I looked over at Ric, standing with Mr Stewart, Liam and Indi's husband Romeo. They were having a beer, and laughing about something funny.

"He looks so happy." I heard someone say as they came up behind me. I turned around and saw Colleen.

"Yeah, he does." I replied. She put her hand on mine.

"You two are so lovely together." She said smiling up at me.

"Thank you Colleen." I said.

"Now with Les and me, tha-"she started

"Mattie!" I heard Indi call. Phew, saved form another one of Colleen's "Les and I" stories.

"I'm so sorry Colleen." I said.

"I will talk to you later."

"Mmm Hmm." She said smiling and nodding. I smiled back and then walked over to Indi.

"Thank you!" I said giving her a hug. She laughed

"I thought you might have needed it, she looked as if she was about to tell you a long story about the good ol' days. And believe me; if you have to work with her, you wind up hearing a lot of things you really wish you didn't know. I pretty much know her entire life story!" she said. I laughed

"Yeah, Colleen is such a sweetheart, but sometimes, you really have heard enough." We chatted for a while longer and then walked into the kitchen to get another glass of wine. Irene and Leah were standing in the kitchen with their drinks.

"Oh, congratulations darl!" Irene said giving me a hug.

"Thank you Irene!" I replied hugging her back.

"Let's see that sparkler of yours!" she said. I held out my hand for her, Leah and Indi to see.

"Oh Mattie it's beautiful!" Leah said smiling

"It really is." Indi added.

"Where's yours?" I asked her.

"Well, our wedding was kind of a last minute thing. I don't have an engagement ring" She said.

"It's kind of a complicated story."

"I have time." I said.

"Okay." She said and gestured towards the couch. We said goodbye to Leah and Irene and walked over into the living room and sat down. She took a deep breath and then launched right into it.

"So, I had temporarily moved out of home and moved in here at the house where Romeo was living, and he and Roo were asked to go on this business thing in Hawaii. He didn't want to leave me here alone while he went so he got an extra ticket and asked me to go along. To cut a long story short, he felt we were in the right place and it was the right time and while we were having a drink after dinner, he popped the question. We discussed details all night and by the next afternoon, I was Mrs Smith." She said.

"Oh, that's so romantic!" I said. She blushed.

"So did you have the dress and everything? Did you have the wedding in the beach? "I asked.

"Yeah, I did get a dress, Roo and I went dress shopping that morning, and the ceremony was on one of the grassy banks next to the beach. It was perfect. "She said.

"It's sounds beautiful." I said.

"I was thinking about a beach wedding." I commented.

"So have you guys picked a date yet?" Indi asked. I glanced over at Ric who was currently talking with Xavier.

"No, not yet." I replied

"But I will let you know as soon as we figure it out." And, um, this might sound weird, since we have only known each other a few weeks, but would you, um, want to maybe help me with stuff. Because I mean, you pulled off a wedding in a matter of hours, so I'm sure you would be able to help me if we have even a few days!" She laughed.

"Of course! I'm amazed that you asked, but I would be honored. She smiled.

"Thank you." I said leaning over and giving her a hug.

"You're welcome." She said.

**RicPOV**

I glanced over at my girl, sitting on the couch talking and laughing with Indi. _How did I get so lucky? _I thought to myself.

"Ric!" I heard someone call. I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Granddad.

"Great party Ric." He said. I laughed

"Thanks Granddad." I said.

"Any regrets? Second thoughts?" he asked.

"Not one." I said. He patted my shoulder.

"She a great girl that Matilda." He said.

"I know." I replied, smiling from ear to ear.

**MattiePOV**

The party was long over and Roo and I were in the kitchen washing dishes, Ric and Mr Stewart were moving the furniture back to their original positions and Marilyn had just finished putting away all of the leftover food and drink and had headed up to bed.

"Roo?" I said nervously.

"What's up?" She said putting sown the plate she was washing.

"Um, this is really hard to ask, but would you come with me?" I said while wringing a tea towel with my hands. She looked at me quizzically.

"When I go dress shopping, and looking at flowers, and venues and things? Because, my Mum's not here do that with me." I said my eyes filling up with tears.

"Oh Mattie sweetheart." She said pulling me in for a hug.

"Of course I will. I'd be honored." She said rubbing my back. She pulled back and started dabbing at my eyes with a tea towel. I started laughing.

"I'm so sorry; I'm standing here crying like a baby." I said sniffing and rubbing away my tears.

"Oh Mattie, you don't have to apologize. I understand." Roo said.

"You do?" I said

"Yeah, my mum died when I was young too. When I almost got married, Dad and Aunty Morag had to help me with things. I was in your exact position." She said.

"You _almost_ got married?" I asked. She laughed.

"Yeah, to this guy called Frank, he wa- well that's a long story." She said

"I'll tell you some other time, kay?"

"You almost married a guy called Frank!" I laughed. "Well okay then, I'm going to hold you to that." I said laughing too.

"Okay, deal." She said. Ric and Mr Stewart came in after putting something away in the garage. Ric looked at me and started to smile. Then a look of worry came to his face.

"Mattie!" he said jogging over to me. "Are you okay babe? What are you upset about?" He asked.

"Oh," I said wiping under my eyes and checking to see if any of my mascara had run. "Nothing, it was silly." Roo gestured to Mr Stewart and they walked towards the stairs, leaving us alone.

"Come on Mattie, what wrong?" Ric said concerned. We stood in silence for a moment before I decided to speak.

"I wa-was just thinking about Mum." I said tears welling up in my eyes again.

"Oh babe." Ric said as he put his arms around me. I put my head on his shoulder and just cried it out. We stood there in the kitchen for what seemed like hours, with Ric holding me tight and stroking my hair while I sobbed into his shoulder. After the tears had stopped, he cupped my face in his hands.

"I'm sorry for asking." He said with a somber look in his eyes.

"No, that's okay, I probably would have cried about it later anyway." I said. I gave him a weak smile.

"Time for bed you think?" he asked quietly

"That sounds like a great idea." I said kissing him softly on the lips. He took my hand and we slowly walked upstairs and into our room, Ric turning off the lights downstairs on our way up.

I changed out of my dress into some comfy track pants and a tank top. Ric pulled on some boxer shorts. I jumped in bed and we lay there in the darkness under our old purple duvet.

"We should call your brothers and Kit tomorrow." Ric said softly.

"And let them know."

"Yeah." I said

"Sounds good. I hope they will all be able to come. "

"Yeah, that's if we pick a date." Ric said rolling over and looking at me.

"Okay, let's try and sort that out tomorrow morning. Then we can call them once we have it all sorted. I said.

"Cool." Ric said. He yawned.

"That was a good party huh?" I said.

"Yup, the best." He said yawning again. I smiled in the darkness.

"Goodnight baby." I said leaning in and kissing him.

"Mmm, goodnight." He said kissing me back. He wrapped his arms around me as we slowly drifted off to sleep.

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><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please R and R! Thanks for reading!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9 Family is Everything

**Hey Everyone! This is just a short chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Home and Away or any or the Characters. Just the ideas**

* * *

><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 9 – Family is Everything**

**RicPOV**

I was sitting in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when Mattie walked in. She had thrown on a silk dressing gown over her pajamas and her hair was all messy.

"Morning Ric." She mumbled grabbing my coffee and taking a big gulp. I laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

"Morning baby." I said taking my cup back from her.

"What are you looking at in there?" she asked gesturing to the book that was open on the table in front of me.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind." I said picking up the address book

"I grabbed it so I could get the numbers of your brothers and sister. We are picking a date for the wedding this morning remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Mattie said her eyes lighting up.

"So," I said "I was thinking, how about October 20th? Or March 8th?

"Why October 20th?" Mattie asked

"You don't remember?" I said

"Wait, wait" she said

"Let me think…" she said her her mouth crinkling as she thought about about it.

"Oh!" she exclaimed

"It was our first date." She said beaming

"Yup, and do remember what happened on the 8th of March?" She blushed

"Yeah, I think I will always remember that day." She said hiding her face with her hair. I smiled at her blushing like she was 16 again.

"You really wanted that day to happen huh babe?" I asked

"Yeah, I had been holding out for ages because I didn't know if you felt the same. Especially since you had only just been in prison, I didn't want to push it." She said

"Well, I'm glad you did." I said as I pulled her into my lap and put my arms around her waist. She rested her head against my shoulder.

"I think that would be the perfect wedding date." She said softly as I kissed her neck.

"Okay, March the 8th it is." I said

"So if it's January now, and we want it this year, that gives us less than three months to get this entire wedding sorted. She said counting days on her fingers

"Pssh, sounds like a breeze" I said cheekily

"Ric!" she said playfully hitting my chest.

"That is almost like no time at all!"

"Well, you said Indi organized her wedding in just a day, maybe you should talk to her and get some help." I said

"And I'm sure Roo and Marilyn would love to help." I added

"Well, I did ask them both yesterday if they would, and they both seemed excited and were willing to help out."

"See!" I said

"All sorted. Now should we call the family and make sure they approve? And then we can probably go out and get those "save the date" card thingy's."

"Okay, who do you want to call first?" Mattie asked a little grin on her face.

"You can call them can't you Mattie?" I said

"No no. YOU can call them. I would go with Scott first, he and Haley are still living in Paris."

"Okay, here goes." I said flicking through Mattie's address book.

**MattiePOV**

He did it, he actually did it. He called every single one of my brothers and my sister. He even called Tony, Lucas, Cassie and Sally too. Scott, Haley and my nephew Noah were all really excited and as soon as I got off the phone with Scott he went to go book the plane tickets. My twin brother Henry is currently living in New York with his girlfriend. He does a bit of dancing and helps run a dance studio with his girlfriend who also does dance. Robbie, Tasha and Ella are still in in the US but moved out of Josie's house 4 years ago and into their own place. I spoke to Ella and she was really excited when I asked her to a flower girl in the wedding. Kit, Kim and Archie live the closest to us. They are still in Sydney where Kim opened up his own gym. Kit offered to drive up in a few days to help me with all the wedding stuff. We called Tony and Rachel to let them know as well. Cassie and Sally and Cassie's daughter Summer Rose are still in Thailand with Miles. Sally, Miles and Cassie all teach at the school they set up. Lucas is going to be Ric's best man. He is currently a published writer and is working on his third novel.

"Phew!" I said after Ric and Lucas hang up.

"Yup, that's everyone." Ric said crossing off Lucas's name on our list.

"Nope, there is still one more person." I said

"Who's that?" he said resting his head in his hands with elbows propped up on the table.

"Martha." I said

"Martha." Ric said a bit surprised.

"Yeah." I said

"I think Roo has her number." I said

"I'll ask her later." I said

"Okay." Ric said.

"So let's sort out this guest list." I said grabbing the address book.

We spent the next hour or so looking through names and making lists and lists of people. We sorted out our bridal party too. Ric's best man is going to be Lucas with my brother's Henry and Robbie being his groomsmen. My maid of honor is Cassie and my bridesmaids are my sister Kit and Tasha. The ring bearers are my nephews Noah and Archie. The flower girls are my niece Ella and Cassie's daughter Summer Rose. And we decided that my oldest brother Scott was going to give me away. We invited almost everyone in the bay plus lots of our family and friends from all over the world, including some of our old friends that lived in the bay.

"Okay, done" I said.

"I think we are ready to get those save the dates." Ric said.

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><p><strong>This was just a short chapter. Hope you liked it! Please Read and Review! Thanks for reading. Next chapter should be up in the next week.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10 Sister Act

**Hi Everyone! Here is Chapter 10. Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 10 Sister Act**

**MattiePOV**

The save the dates were picked out. We picked a very traditional and simple card, with white, green and a soft lilac as the main colors **(see pic on blog, see profile for link).** We have them ordered and ready to go.

"Phew!" Ric said and plonked himself down on the couch.

"That's that over with, now we just have everything else!"

"Don't worry babe," I said "Roo and Indi are gonna help me, I texted Indi while you were giving the woman at the card shop our details and she and Roo are going dress shopping with me tomorrow, but we won't get one until Kit gets here."

"Okay, when are she and Kim coming up?" Ric asked

"Either tomorrow afternoon or early the next morning." I said "It depends on how Archie feels about the drive." I said as I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass from the cupboard.

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked.

"Nah, I'm good." Ric said.

"I'll just make myself a sandwich."

"Okay," I said. "I'm going to grab those bridal and wedding magazines and head out to Angelo's to meet up with Indi for lunch and to start getting some ideas for the wedding."

"Sounds good. Just keep me updated." Ric said

"I don't want to end up wearing some silly pink ruffled shirt or something." He added with a sly smile.

"I promise I won't make you look that bad." I said smiling back. He continued making his lunch while I dashed into our room to grab the magazines off the dresser and my bag that was hanging off the banister of the stairs in our room. When I got back down he was halfway through eating his sandwich.

"Man that was quick!" I said

"Well, I was kinda hungry" Ric said with big eyes. I laughed.

"Okay, so I'll be back later for dinner. I love you. I said giving him a kiss.

"I love you too Mattie." He said kissing me back. I smiled and gave him a quick wave as I stepped outside. I started walking down past the beach to Angelo's. Indi was waiting inside at a little table in the corner when I arrived.

"Hi!" she said as I sat down.

"Hey." I replied.

"So I brought the magazines, now all we have to do is figure out what we want!"

"Shouldn't be too hard." Indi said. I pulled the pile of magazines out of my bag. Her eyes got wider.

"Woah, okay, it might be a bit hard." She said.

"Yeah, tell me about it." I said

"I've been looking at the same one for ages and I still haven't looked through the entire thing yet."

"Well, we'd better get started then huh?" Indi said

"Let's order some food and get cracking." I agreed.

We ordered our food, chicken salad with ciabatta bread for me (don't want to gain too much weight before the wedding!) And tortellini in a tomato and basil sauce for Indi.

We spent the next few hours talking and flicking through magazines, writing down ideas or circling things. We decided on a beach wedding and a reception at the surf club afterwards. I called Ric to let him know what we were planning before we called it a day and headed off home.

"Hey! I'm back" I called as I walked through the door.

"Hey babe, in here." Ric said from around the corner. I dropped my bag on the dining table and walked into the kitchen. Ric was cutting up some carrots.

"Stir-fry okay for dinner?" he asked.

"Yup, sounds good." I said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"So did you get lots of stuff done?" Ric asked

"Yeah, we did actually. We haven't finalized anything yet though. I need to talk to you about some stuff and ask Kit about some othe-"

"Did someone say me name?" I heard a very familiar voice call out from the direction of the stairs.

**RicPOV**

Mattie's eyes got huge. I smiled as I heard the pitter pattering of little feet coming down the stairs. Archie came running in and yelled

"Aunty Matilda!" as he jumped up into her arms.

"Hey buddy." Mattie said picking him up and giving him a kiss on the forehead. Kit came up behind him with Kim in tow.

"Hey baby sis." Kit said smiling as she gave Mattie a big hug. Kim gave Mattie a hug too

"Hi there Matilda." He said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh wow, I can't believe you're all here!" Mattie said.

"Ric why didn't you tell me!" she said giving me a playful hit on the shoulder before pulling me in for a hug.

"I didn't want to spoil the surprise.'" I said kissing her forehead.

"Were you surprised Aunty Mattie? Were you?" Archie said jumping up and down. Mattie laughed and pulled out of the embrace to pick him up.

"Yes I was surprised." She said swirling him around. Archie giggled.

"And boy you have gotten big!" she said grinning at him

"I know." He replied very proudly.

"I'll put the kettle on." I said and turned back to the kitchen. Mattie ushered Kit and Kim over to the sofa and started she and Kit started talking wedding details.

Granddad, Aunty Roo, Marilyn and Ruby came back for dinner and all the girls were talking excitedly about wedding details. Kim, Granddad, Archie and I were in the living room watching Archie play with his trucks on the floor.

"So you finally did it ay mate?" Kim said punching me in the shoulder. I laughed.

"Yep." I said

"Took you long enough." He said while handing Archie a red truck.

"Well, it didn't feel right doing it in Perth, so after Mattie finished her degree, I casually suggested coming back to Summer Bay for a while so I could propose here." I said

"And I'm sure she's mighty glad you did." Granddad said.

"So Kim, how's your gym business going?"

"Yeah good," Kim said nodding

"I manage a small chain of gyms in the city with a few up the coast, and I have someone that helps me out so I still have time to do some personal training and be with Kit and Archie as well. So it has all worked out pretty good." He said.

"Wow, that's impressive mate." I said.

"Yeah, we are proud of you Kim." Granddad added

"Thanks guys." Kim said.

"Hey Uncle Ric, wanna see my mustang?" asked Archie.

"Yeah buddy, that would be cool." I said. He ran upstairs with Kit yelling after him

"Slow down Archie!" The boys all laughed.

**MattiePOV**

"Good day huh" Ric asked as he pulled back the covers of our favourite old purple doona cover.

"It was a great day." I replied climbing in next to him.

"So what are your plans for tomorrow?" Ric asked

"Well Kit, Indi, Roo and I are going dress shopping. And when I get back we need to talk about getting tuxes for you and the groomsmen and dresses for the bridesmaids." I said.

"Okay, we can call everyone when you get back to get measurements and sizes and stuff." Ric said.

"Sounds good." I said. We sat in a comfortable silence for a while. My head was leaning against his chest and he was stroking my hair.

"It's really happening huh?" I whispered softly.

"It really is Future Mrs. Dalby" Ric said smiling into my hair.

"I like being called that." I said looking up at him smiling.

"Well that's good," Ric said.

"We could make it Hunter-Dalby or Dalby Hunter but I think that would be too much of a mouthful."

"Matilda Harriet Jane Hunter Dalby" I said.

"Yeah, it's kinda long huh?" I said. Ric laughed.

"Just a bit" he said. I sighed and rolled over so I was lying on stomach.

"I love you." I said

"I love you too." He replied and leaned over to turn out the light.

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><p><strong>*To view picture of the save-the-date cards see my profile for a link to my blog.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please Read and Review. Thanks so much for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11 The Perfect Dress

**Hey guys! Sorry it has been a few days since last updating. But I hope this chapter makes up for it! Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 11 – The Perfect Dress**

**MattiePOV**

I woke up to the soft movements of Ric breathing and the feeling of his heart beating in his chest. His arms were wrapped loosely around me, and I felt perfectly safe. I could happily lay there in his arms all day, but today was the day that Roo, Indi and I decided to start planning the wedding. She was coming over at 10.30 and we would go over details and start shopping around to get some ideas.

My head was brimming with ideas, and Indi text me late last night that she had already started making lists of things to do.

"Mattie?" I heard Ric mumble.

"Yeah." I replied softly

"Isn't Indi coming in an hour?" he asked. I glanced over at the clock. It was 9.30.

"Yikes!" I squealed

"She's coming in 40 minutes! I have to take a shower and find my notebook and eat breakfast and call Kit an-!"

"Hey, slow down!" Ric said.

"You're talking a mile a minute! Take a deep breath." Ric instructed. I did as he said and calmly collected my thoughts and figured out what to do. I swiveled out of bed and pulled my white satin dressing gown over my pajamas. I leant over and kissed Ric on the cheek.

"Morning babe." I said. I did an about turn and walked off to the bathroom with the hugest grin on my face. _This was going to be a good day_ I thought to myself. I heard Ric chuckling as I walked through the door.

After I had gotten myself sorted, I found that Roo had grabbed a pile of bridal magazines and put them on the table to look over while I was eating breakfast.

"Want another piece of toast?" Roo asked as the toaster popped.

"Yeah, that would be good thanks." I said looking up from a magazine.

"Vegemite?" she asked.

"Yep, thanks Roo." I said. She slid the plate across the table and stated buttering some toast for herself. Ric came strolling in wearing some blue striped boxer shorts; he swiped a piece of toast from Roo and said

"Thanks Aunty Roo" and walked past giving me a kiss on my head.

"Ric!" Roo protested, laughing. He took a big bite of the toast and grabbed the newspaper. He walked into the living room and sat down on the coach with his feet up on the coffee table. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I turned back to my magazines.

"Hello?" I heard a voice call out. Indi's head popped around the door.

"Hi!" I said

"Come on in." She walked in and passed Ric who was sitting on the couch in his underwear reading the paper. She looked at him weirdly and he just sat there smiling like a dork.

"Excuse him." I said referring to Ric

"He is not great with visitors early in the morning." I said swatting him over the head with a magazine.

"Hey!" he yelled. Indi laughed

"Man, you guys act like an old married couple already!"

"I know." I grimaced and Ric just laughed as he pulled me in for a quick kiss. Roo waltzed back in the room, with her bag in hand and sunglasses perched on her head.

"Ready to go?" she asked looking at me and Indi.

"Yup, I just have to quickly call Kit and then I'm good to go." I said and looked over at Indi

"Ready when you are." She said

"Okay, we'll be off then Ric. Don't get into too much trouble." Roo said to Ric as she walked out the door.

"I'll be in the car" she yelled out. Indi walked out behind Roo after grabbing the wedding magazines off the table. She gave me a wink and said "later" to Ric.

"Bye" he yelled after her.

I jumped on the phone to Kit and told her about the wedding dress shopping, she said she would meet us there, she was going to get Kim to drop her off before he and Archie came over to the house.

"I'll be back later and then maybe we can go out for dinner or something, kay? And Kim and Archie are coming over soon too." I said to Ric.

"Okay sounds good babe." He said cupping my face in his hands and pulling me down towards him and slowly kissing me.

"I love you." He said

"Love you too." I replied blowing him another kiss and running out the door as I heard Roo tooting her horn.

"Took you long enough" Roo laughed as I breathlessly swung into the car.

"Oops." I said sheepishly.

"Okay! First stop dress shop!" Indi yelled as we pulled out of the driveway.

We pulled up outside the shop and the girls piled out of the car. I stayed inside with my seatbelt on. I was thinking about Mum. How she should be here with me, looking through magazines and helping me pick out a dress and look at endless bouquet arrangements. Tears started coming to my eyes.

"Mattie?" I heard Roo softly call out. I snapped out of my little daydream and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Yep, I'm here." I said she popped her head back in the car.

"You okay sweetheart?" she asked

"Yeah, I'm okay." I said forcing a smile and nodding.

"Just needed a moment." I gulped. Indi subtly gestured to Roo that she was going to pop into the corner store. Roo nodded. She opened the door and slid in next to me.

"I know." She said and grabbed my hand.

"It was just as hard when I had to do it. It can all be a bit daunting and scary, and one of the most important people in your life isn't there. But Mattie, she would be so, so proud of you. You went to university and got a degree in law. You are engaged to a man that she approved of, and you are back home in Summer Bay. I am sure that Beth would be very proud of you. "

"Yeah, "I said

"She did like Ric. It took a while but she eventually got to know him better and she accepted him."

"And I am sure she would be glad that you are marrying him." Roo said

"And I know you always look beautiful, but if we don't go in a look for a dress you could be wearing a bathing suit down the aisle!" Roo said laughing. I laughed too.

"Okay, let's go!" I said. Indi was standing outside the dress shop with a chocolate bar in her hand.

"Thought you might need a little pick me up." She said smiling and handing the candy bar to me.

"Thanks." I said as I took it.

"So, who's ready to look at some dresses?" She asked as we walked into the shop.

Kit arrived a few minutes later, and having my sister there made me feel a whole lot better. We spent almost two hours trying on dress after dress. I think we had at least three glasses of champagne each.

"So I was talking to Robbie this morning," Kit said from the other side of the curtain as I pulled on yet another dress.

"And he, Tasha and Ella should be here in 3 days or so." She said.

"Wow, that's quick." I said

"Yeah I know." Kit replied

"But they really didn't want to miss anything."

"That's sweet of them, but I hope the trip will be okay, doesn't Ella get travel sickness?" I asked as I zipped up the back of the dress.

"Yeah, that's why it will take them three days. They are having a stopover before they arrive."

"That's a good idea." I said as I stepped out of the changing room. Kit looked at me with wide eyes.

"What?" I said alarmed.

"Does this dress make my butt look big or something?" I said looking behind me. Kit grabbed me by the arm and pulled out by the big mirrors where Roo and Indi were sitting. Indi's mouth opened wide and Roo broke out in a big grin.

"That's the one." Roo breathed softly.

"Mattie, it's beautiful." Indi said in awe. Kit pushed me up on the platform and I looked at myself in the mirror. It was perfect. It was a long strapless Vera Wang gown with a babydoll sheath lace bodice with a soft criss cross bow and a floaty tulle skirt. **(*Picture on blog)**

"Mattie sweetheart, it looks beautiful on you." Roo said and motioned for me to twirl. As I spun around I noticed a few tears run down Kit's face.

"Kit what's wrong?" I said steeping of the platform and walking towards her.

"Nothing Mattie, it's just that, I know Mum would have been so proud of you. I'm proud of you." She said wiping away her tears. I pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks Kit, I wouldn't have been able to do this without you." I said a tear slipping down my face too.

"Come on you two!" Roo said.

"This is happy moment! Come on let's have a toast" she said picking up her champagne glass. Indi handed me one.

"To finding the perfect dress!" Roo said raising her glass

"To finding the perfect dress" we all repeated and took a sip.

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><p><strong>*To view a picture of Mattie's wedding dress a link to my blog is on my profile.<strong>

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think off Matilda's Wedding Dress! Please R and R. Thanks for Reading! Elise x**


	12. Chapter 12 Dinner with the Family

******Hey Everyone! Sorry that it has taken me forever to upload a new chapter. I have been swamped with homework this past week. Just a short chapter for you. Hope you enjoy! x**

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><p><strong><span>The Return<span>**

**Chapter 12 – Dinner with the Family**

**Ric POV**

"Ric?" I heard Mattie call out from behind the door.

"Coming!" I said putting down the tea towel I was using next to the sink. I walked over and opened up the door. Mattie was standing there carrying a couple bags of groceries.

"What's all this?" I asked taking two from her.

"Well, I kinda wanted to cook dinner for everyone tonight, to thank them for helping us out." She said.

"Oh, okay," I said. "What are we cooking?"

"I was thinking of maybe doing lasagna and a tiramisu for dessert." She said pulling out the food from the bags and putting them on the table.

"Do you even know how to make that?" I asked looking at the fresh pasta sheets.

"Of course I do Ric!" Mattie said giggling as she put the mascarpone in the fridge.

"Mum and I made lasagna all the time, and Kit's favourite dessert is tiramisu so she taught me how to make it. She is going to come over in half an hour to help me."

"Phew!" I said "At least the dessert will be okay." Mattie whacked me with a tea towel.

"Hey! Don't diss my cooking skills!" she said pretending to look hurt.

"Oh, babe I'm sorry." I said enveloping her in a big hug.

"That's okay." She said.

"But, because you don't think I can do it, you can help me." She said twirling around and smirking at me.

"Fine." I said making a face. Mattie laughed and kissed my nose.

"Thank you!" she said and tied an apron around her waist.

**Mattie POV**

Ric started tapping his glass with a spoon. He cleared his throat.

"I would like to thank you all for coming." Ric said.

"These times in people's lives are usually stressful and hectic but because of our wonderful family and friends, this has been a breeze. I would like to thank the girls for going with Mattie to hundreds of dress shops, and florists, and cake makers and for looking at countless magazines with her. And I would like to thank the boys for bringing me cold beer occasionally and watching the footy with me." I said looking around the table.

"And I want to thank Archie for showing me his cool truck collection which I don't know how he convinced his mum to let him bring them all here." Ric added

"I didn't ask her." Archie's little voice piped up.

"I just hid them in my Bob the Builder backpack and she didn't even know!" he said smiling. Kim ruffled his hair.

"Wow mate that was a good hiding spot." He said Archie grinned up at his dad.

"So anyway," Ric continued.

"Thanks for being there for us, and let's hope this wedding goes off without a hitch. And that the food's edible."

"Ric!" I said

"Well, you made most of it." He said grinning at me.

"Don't worry Mattie love, it's great." Mr Stewart said.

"Well, actually I made the lasa-"Ric started before I gave him a look.

"Kidding, kidding." He said looking at me sheepishly. I laughed.

"Better be." I said smiling at him.

I put the last dish in the dishwasher and turned it on.

"So what are you doing tomorrow?" Marilyn asked while putting the leftover lasagna into a container.

"Well, tomorrow we are going to pick out flowers for the bouquets and go check out some cakes." I said.

"Oh, that sounds like fun." Marilyn said smiling.

"Do you have any idea about flower colors?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not too sure yet, but I was thinking about maybe a pale pink?" I said

"Oh that sounds lovely." She said clapping her hands together.

"Would you like to come with us tomorrow Marilyn?" I asked

"I was going to ask Ruby and Roo as well."

"Oh Mattie! I would love too!" she said giving me a swift hug.

"It could be a bit of a girl's day." I said.

"Cassie, Sally and Miles are getting in tomorrow and Robbie and Tasha will be here tomorrow night, so all my bridesmaids will be here."

"Mattie that sounds wonderful. Just let me know tomorrow morning what time we are leaving and I will be there." She said smiling.

"Of course." I said giving her a hug.

"Okay then, I think I'm going to head up to bed. Nighty night." Marilyn said blowing a kiss and tottering up the stairs in her hot pink heels.

"Night." I called out after her.

Ric was already in bed when I headed upstairs. He was sitting up with a notebook in his lap and his phone in his hands.

"What are you doing?" I said climbing in next to him.

"Just texting people." He said.

"So I talked to Scott, and he and Haley will be here in a few days. Lucas is coming not tomorrow, but the day after with Tony and Rachel. And Henry will be here in two days." He said reading off the notebook.

"Wow. Everyone's coming at once." I said.

"Cassie, Miles and Sally are arriving tomorrow and Robbie and Ella are here tomorrow night."

"Well, that's why I booked a bunch of rooms at the Sands." Ric said.

"I think that Sally, Miles and Cassie will be staying at the house, but for everyone else, I booked rooms for them." He said.

"Aww baby, that's sweet of you." I said giving him a kiss.

"Well," Ric said smirking slightly. "I do try." I laughed.

"Yes you do." I said kissing him again.

"Oh, and I called Martha too." He said

"Really?" I said

"Yes really. She is coming in about 5 days. She still has work and stuff." He said.

"That's okay, I 'm just glad that she's coming." I said turning out my light and snuggling down into the covers.

"Yeah, me too. So is Aunty Roo. She hasn't seen Martha in a good 5 or 6 years now." He said reaching over a turning out his own light.

"So anyway," Ric said putting his arms around me.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked.

"Well, in the morning, you and I need to go and taste cake."

"Cake!" Ric said happily. I laughed

"Yes cake."

"And then in the afternoon, all the girls and I will be going to look at flower arrangements." I said

"Do I need to get one of those flower things to pin on too?" Ric asked.

"Yeah, "I said.

"Do I need to come?" he asked.

"Because, I was thinking about going to try and get a tux with Kim and Granddad. " He said.

"That's okay. I f I find one, I'll text you a picture so you can let me know if you like it or not." I said.

"Sounds good." He said yawning.

"You tired?" I laughed.

"Yeah, a bit." He said.

"I think having a full stomach make you tired. I ate a lot of tiramisu." He said

"Yeah, you did." I said.

"I thought you would burst with the amount of food you ate."

"Yeah, you and me both." He said pulling me tighter.

"Night baby." He said softly into my ear.

"Night Ric." I replied.

"I love you." He said

"I love you too." I replied as he kissed my forehead.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please Review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!<strong>

**(Oh and for the next chapter I was thinking about a soft pink for the flowers, what do you think?)**


	13. Chapter 13 A Long and Busy Day

**Hey everyone! Sorry it has been _forever_ since I last uploaded. Sorry for the wait, Hope this chapter makes up for it. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Return<span>**

**Chapter 13 – A Long and Busy Day**

**RicPOV**

"Mattie!" I called out from the bottom of the stairs.

"Get ready! It's time to go eat cake!" I heard someone grumbling as they came down the stairs.

"Did you have to yell from down here?" Aunty Roo said yawing and tying up her dressing gown.

"Oops, sorry Aunty Roo." I said apologetically. I heard Granddad chuckling from the kitchen. I heard the bathroom door slam upstairs so at least my yelling hadn't gone entirely to waste. Ruby was already sitting at the dining table with her cereal.

"Morning Ric." She said waving her spoon in the air.

"Morning." I replied plopping down next to her and grabbing a bowl.

"So Ric," Granddad started. "What are the plans for today?"

"Well, this morning Mattie and I are going out and tasting wedding cakes and figuring out how we want ours to look, and around lunch time Miles, Sally and Cassie are arriving, we should hopefully be back by then, and in the afternoon Mattie and a bunch of the girls are going to look at flowers." I said.

"And, I was hoping that you and some of the other guys would come and look at tuxes with me? "I asked

"Of course Ric, I'd love to come." Granddad replied.

"Cool, thanks Granddad." I said. I heard some footsteps on the stairs. Mattie came walking into the kitchen.

"Morning everyone." She said brightly.

"Morning love." Granddad said.

"Toast?" he asked.

"No thanks Mr Stewart," Mattie replied.

"Just a coffee for me, got to save room for all that cake." She said.

"Good idea love." He said pushing the coffee pot towards her across the bench. She poured some into a travel mug.

"Ready to go?" she asked looking at me.

"Yep." I said and stood up to put my bowl in the sink.

"See you all later." I said and Mattie grabbed her bag off the end chair as we walked out the door.

**MattiePOV**

Ric and I were walking around in awe looking at hundreds (not literally, but close enough) of different cakes.

"Now, we have this lovely carrot cake." I heard the woman say. I snapped out of my little daze and looked down at the small tray of cakes in her hands.

"And this one is our very popular sponge cake. Have you decided what design you want for your wedding cake?" she asked

Um, yes we have." I said.

"It's this one here." I said pointing to the picture in the huge book sitting on the counter. Ric and I had spent the last half hour or so looking at cake after cake after cake and we finally decided which one we wanted. It was a classic white wedding cake, 5 tiers with an assortment of pale pink roses in between each layer, a band of pink and a band of white around the bottom of each cake with little dots of icing piped around them. **(See pic on blog)**

Oh how lovely." She said smiling.

"So do you know what flavors of cake you would like each tier to be?

"Would you like to try some other types?" She went over to one of the tables and picked up another small tray.

"Now here is a lovely red velvet cake, with cream cheese frosting sandwiched in the middle. This would look beautiful when you cut it." Ric and I each grabbed a small piece. I put it into my mouth and my eyes went wide.

"This is beautiful." I said.

"It's really soft and light and the flavor is wonderful."

"It's pretty good." Ric said swallowing.

"Yes, this is a favourite choice." The woman said smiling. She handed us each a glass of water to wash it down.

"Now these are some of our chocolate ones," she said gesturing to the other three cakes on the tray.

"This one is our white chocolate cake, our lovely triple chocolate cake, and a very decadent chocolate cake." She said offering us the tray. We took our time and slowly ate each one.

"I really like that white chocolate one." I said to Ric.

"Yeah, and I like the last one, the decadent chocolate." He said pointing to it.

"You can have several different cakes since you have 5 tiers." The woman said.

"Okay, "I said slowly.

"So we like the red velvet one, the white chocolate and the decadent chocolate, right?" I asked Ric.

"Yep, sounds good to me." He said.

"Alright then, just figure out which layer is which and we can put in your order." The woman said as we walked over to the counter.

**RicPOV**

We're ho-ome!" I called out as we walked into the house.

"Ric!" I heard someone say. We walked into the kitchen and saw Sally, Miles, Cassie and little Summer Rose standing in the kitchen with Alf and Roo.

"Cassie!" I heard Matilda squeal as she launched herself into Cassie's arms. I grabbed Sal and gave her a huge hug. While still holding onto Sally I reached over and gave Miles a quick hug too.

"Hey Ric." He said smiling. Matilda was kneeling down and looking at a little girl with a huge grin.

"Hi Summer Rose," she said.

"I'm Aunty Mattie." Summer Rose smiled and reached over to give her a little hug. Cassie stood next to them smiling.

"Hey there Cassie." I said letting go of Sal's hand and walking over to her.

"Hiya Ric." Cassie grinned and gave me a big hug. Mattie walked over to hug Sally and Miles.

"When did you guys get here?" I asked letting go of Cassie.

"Oh, only about 10 minutes ago." Miles said.

"You didn't miss much." Sally said grinning.

"It's good to have you home Sal." Granddad said.

"It's good to be home Mr Stewart." She said smiling at him.

**MattiePOV**

After catching up with everyone we all had some lunch (except for Ric and I who were too full from eating so much cake). And then everyone else started to show up for the afternoon shopping. Ric, Kim, Archie, Miles and Mr Stewart are going to look for tux's and suits, and Me, Cassie, Sally, Summer Rose, Kit, Ruby, Marilyn and Roo were all going to look at flowers.

"See you boys later!" I called out giving Ric a quick kiss and waving to all the others. We all piled into a taxi van and started off to the flower shop.

We walked in and the shop smelt _heavenly_. I could smell roses and freesia's, lilies and frangipani's and the room was so brightly colored and welcoming.

"Hello, can I help you ladies with anything?" The florist asked as she walked over.

"Yes, hi. I'm looking at choosing some flowers for my wedding." I said.

"Oh, wonderful." She said. She gestured towards a door.

"If you would all like to come in here we can start looking through books and looking at embellishments to help get some ideas."

"Great." I said and we all trailed in after her. The room was brightly lit up with lots of natural light and comfy chairs with a coffee table in the middle with piles of flower books. Everyone took a seat and we all started to look through them.

"Oh Mattie, what about some tulips, they're pretty?" Kit asked

"Or how about these?" Cassie said holding up a picture.

"There are Calla lilies with freesias and baby's breath." Roo suggested

"Or these tuberose's and peonies?" Marilyn said.

"Woah, calm down guys!" I said.

"Not all at once!"

"Sorry Mattie, we're just all so excited." Ruby said.

"No no, that's okay." I said giving Ruby a smile.

"What colors were you thinking of Mattie?" Sally asked

"Well, the cake has lots of soft pink roses on it, and I like orchids." I said

"Well good, that's gives us something to work with, and do you want different bouquets for the bridesmaids? She said.

"Yeah, that would be good, and we also need petals for Summer Rose's and Ella's baskets." I said

"Oh yes!" Cassie said.

"Almost forgot about those."

"Okay, so everyone knows what we are looking for?" Sally said. Everyone nodded.

"Okay ladies, let's get looking!" she said.

Almost two hours later and we had finally chosen the flowers. I would be having a bouquet with lots of different shades of soft pink roses and some hydrangeas in between **(see blog for pic)**. The bridesmaids would be having bouquets with pink and white roses and pink orchids **(see blog for pic)** and the flower girls would have soft pink rose petals in their baskets. For the groomsmen we chose boutonnieres with little pink roses and a white orchid** (see blog for pic)** and Ric would have a boutonniere with just white roses** (see blog for pic)**.

"Phew!" I said walking out of the florists.

"All done!" We jumped back in the taxi and headed home.

We walked inside and saw all the boys sitting in the living room watching the cricket with a cold beer in each of their hands. Archie was sitting on the floor playing with his trucks.

"Hi guys." I said.

"Hi." They all replied in unison.

"Well, what a welcome." Cassie said scooping up Summer Rose and taking her into the kitchen.

"Wine anyone?" Marilyn asked tottering in her heels after Cassie.

"Sure." I said sitting down at the dining table.

"That would be lovely Marilyn." said Sally.

"So Mattie, what's next on the to-do list?" Kit asked.

"Bridesmaids dresses." I said.

"Well, this could be interesting." She said plopping down in the seat next to me.

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><p><strong>*To see any of the pictures of things described in this story, a link to my blog is on my profile.<strong>

**Hope you liked this chapter! Please go check out the wedding cake and the flowers on my blog. **

**Please Review. Thanks for Reading!**

**Elise :) x**


	14. Chapter 14 One Big Happy Family

**Hey everyone! Sorry it has been forever since I last updated. I have been really busy and had a bit of writers block. But I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 14 – One Big Happy Family**

**MattiePOV**

The next few days were hectic! Robbie and Tasha arrived with Ella soon after we got home from flower shopping and we picked out flower arrangements for the tables, (simple pale pink roses in clear vases; **see pic on blog**). Ric and the boys got their suits ordered and the girls and I had been looking at bridesmaids dresses and dresses for Ella and Summer Rose too. We had finally narrowed it down and came up with some beautiful dresses. For the flower girls we chose some beautiful little white dresses with flowers encrusted on the bodice and tulle skirt** (pic on blog)**, and for the bridesmaids, Kit and Tasha we chose pale pink strapless dresses** (pic on blog)** .And for my maid of honor Cassie a similar dress as the bridesmaids but with an added pink bow on the side** (pic on blog)**.

"Mattie!" I heard Cassie say as she knocked on the door. Ric grumbled in his sleep. I slowly hopped out of bed and pulled on my silk dressing gown as I walked to the door.

"Yeah?" I said yawning as I opened the door.

"There is someone here to see you." She said her eyes sparkling. I followed her downstairs and heard a familiar voice. I stepped into the living room and saw Mr Stewart talking to someone very special.

"Henry!" I yelled and ran towards him. He scooped me up in a big hug.

"I didn't think you were coming for ages!" I said squeezing him tighter.

"Well, I guess that means our twin telepathy isn't working then." He said chuckling while letting me go.

"And this," he said gesturing to the girl behind him.

"Is Sophia." She smiled and waved a little hello. I reached out and gave her a hug.

"Hi," I said.

"I'm Mattie."

"I know," she replied

"Henry has told me a lot about you." She added.

"Nothing bad I hope." I said laughing and nudging Henry in the ribs. He gave me a little shove back.

"No no, all good." She said laughing back.

"Well, I was just about to get a cup of coffee, anyone want one?" Mr Stewart asked walking towards the kitchen.

"I would love thanks Mr Stewart." I said smiling.

"Yeah, that would be great Mr Stewart." Henry said.

"Oh you Hunter kids!" he said chuckling as he flipped the kettle on.

"You know you can call me Alf." He said.

"But it would be weird calling you Alf, Mr Stewart." Henry said with a cheeky smile. Mr Stewart laughed and grabbed some mugs out from the cupboard. I gestured for Henry and Sophia towards the couch.

"So have you seen the others?" I said to Henry as we sat down.

"No, I was hoping to catch up with them all today." He said.

"Oh, well you're in luck, cause they are all coming over for lunch later." I said grinning.

"The Hunter Clan reunited!" Henry said. Sophia and I laughed.

"So where's Ric?" Henry asked.

"Sleeping." I said rolling my eyes

"Not anymore…." I heard someone mumble from the doorway. I saw Ric slowly walking through the door and into the kitchen.

"Sorry, not properly woken up yet till I have my coffee." Mr Stewart laughed and handed him a cup. He took a sip and then walked into the living room.

"Good to see ya mate." He said to Henry giving him a hug/handshake thing.

"You to Ric." Henry replied

"And this is Sophia." I said gesturing to her.

"Hi Sophia, nice to meet you." Ric said giving her a quick hug too.

"Nice to meet you too." She said smiling.

"And good morning to you." Ric said giving me a quick kiss on the forehead and plopping down beside me.

We all talked and chatted for a while and then Henry and Sophia went back to their hotel to get ready for lunch. I heard some footsteps outside the door.

"Hello!" I heard Robbie call out.

"In here!" I yelled back in reply. Robbie, Tasha and Ella came in through the door carrying a big bowl.

"What's in there?" I gestured towards the bowl as Tasha set it down on the countertop. I gave Ella a quick hug.

"Oh, I just wanted to contribute something," she said shrugging.

"It's just a salad."

"Oh Tash! You didn't have to bring anything!" I said.

"No no, I wanted too." She said smiling.

"Well thank you." I said smiling back.

"Hello!" I heard a loud voice call out. Kim, Kit walked through the back door, Archie running in front of them and stopping to give me a hug.

"Hey buddy!" I said plopping a kiss on his head. He and Ella ran into the living room. I gave Kit a hug. Kim put a box on the table.

"Oh no! Don't tell me you brought something as well!" I said to Kim.

"Oh, it's just a cake for dessert." He said shrugging.

"Kit's idea." He added.

"Oh you Hunter's!" Robbie said sarcastically. We all laughed.

"So guys, I have a bit of a surprise for you all." I said grinning.

"And what would that be Mattie?" Kit asked.

"Well if I told you now it would ruin the surprise wouldn't it? And besides, I was going to wait until Ric gets here with the special surprise anyway." I said.

"I'm he-ere!" I heard Ric call out. He walked inside with Henry and Sophia behind him.

"Henry!" Kit and Robbie yelled rushing over to give him a hug.

"Told you it would be a good surprise." I said walking towards Ric. He pulled me into a hug.

"Ella! Archie! Come and meet Uncle Henry!" Kit called as Tasha gave Henry a hug and Kim shook his hand.

"Good to see you again mate." Kim said.

"Yeah, you too Kim." Henry said smiling.

"And this is Sophia." He said gesturing her to them.

"Hi everyone." She said shyly. Kit went over and gave her a hug.

"Nice to meet you Sophia." Robbie said.

"Yeah, hi." Tasha added.

I got the table set up and gave the kids some food and Tasha and I got them settled in the living room. Everyone was talking and catching up. Ric looked over at me and gave me a quick wink.

"I love you." He mouthed

"I love you too." I mouthed back giving him a smile.

"Anyone home!" I heard someone call out. I whirled around to see Scott, Haley and Noah standing at the door.

"Am I missing out on a Hunter reunion or something?" he said grinning.

"Get in here you goof!" Robbie yelled. Everyone laughed. Kit and I went running up to him and gave him a huge hug.

"Congratulations Mattie." He whispered. Robbie, Henry and Ric came over too.

"Congratulations mate." Scott said shaking Ric's hand.

"Thanks Scott." Ric said. I saw Noah looking at Ella and Archie.

"Hey Noah." I said kneeling down.

"Want to go play with your cousins?" I asked. He nodded.

"Go on then." I motioned. He ran into the living room and Archie handed him a truck. I smiled. I looked up at Haley.

"Hi Mattie." She said her eyes twinkling.

"Hi Haley." I said pulling her into a hug.

Everyone was eating and laughing and reminiscing about old times. I stood in the kitchen holding my glass of wine. I felt some arms wrap around my torso.

"Hey baby." Ric said softly into my ear.

"Hey." I replied.

"It's good to have the family here huh?" he said.

"Yeah, it's perfect." I said turning around and smiling at him. He cupped my face in his hands and brought his mouth down to mine.

"Eww!" I heard from behind me. I whirled around to see Ella, Archie and Noah standing there making faces. Everyone started laughing.

"Yep, this is perfect." I thought to myself.

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><p><strong>*To see any of the pictures mentioned in this chapter (or previous chapters) there is a link to my picture blog on my profile page.<strong>

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you have any suggestions or comments please review! Thank you so much for reading! **

**Elise :)**


	15. Chapter 15 A Night to Remember

**Hey everyone! Thanks for being patient. It has been a while since I last uploaded. Please Review. Enjoy!**

**(Hope you enjoy having another familiar face back) ;)**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 15 – A Night to Remember**

**RicPOV**

"Mattie!" I called from the top of the stairs.

"Do you know where my helmet with bull horns on it is?"

"I don't know! Is it on top of the wardrobe?" she called back.

"I'll go look." I said and ran back into our room. I looked up above the wardrobe. It was there. I reached up and pulled it off. I ran back downstairs.

"Got it!" I called out to Mattie.

"Okay, you ready?" she asked.

"Yep." I said grinning.

"Now, no funny business." Mattie said.

"Promise." I said pulling her in for a kiss.

"And Mr Stewart is going to be keeping an eye on you so if there is anything I need to know abo-" she said wagging her finger at me.

"Okay okay, I got it." I said grabbing her hand.

"And have a beer for me will ya?" she asked grinning.

"Of course." I said kissing her.

"You have fun too babe." I said.

"We'll see, I think it's just a night in with the girls." She said.

"Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that." I said winking. I knew what the girls had planned for the night.

"Mattie you ready?" I heard someone call out from upstairs.

"Yep! In a minute. Just have to put something decent on." She replied

"What are you wearing?" the voice called out again.

"Sweatpants!" she called back.

"Really! Mattie we have to leave in 10 minutes!" The person called out.

"I think you look beautiful in sweatpants." I whispered in her ear grinning cheekily. She swatted me on the arm. I heard some footsteps coming down the stairs. Martha walked through the door into the living room.

"Ric, that hat looks ridiculous." She said smiling in the corners of her mouth.

"I think it looks rather dashing actually." I replied trying to put on a posh accent.

"Well, I'm glad someone thinks so." She said.

"Now Mattie, come on. We have to get you ready for you hen's night!" Martha said grabbing my hand.

"Okay okay. Ric, I love you. Don't do anything you wouldn't want me knowing about." She said looking at me.

"Promise babe." I said cupping her face in my hands and kissing her.

"Okay Ric, now shoo! Leave us to have our girly fun." Martha said giggling and winking at me.

"Okay, okay I'm going!" I said throwing my hands in the air and walking out the door.

**MattiePOV**

I sighed and turned around to face Martha.

"Okay, let's get this party over with." I said.

"Love the enthusiasm Mattie. Now come on, I have the perfect dress for you!" Martha said he eyes sparkling. She dragged me upstairs and as I got to my bedroom door she asked me to close my eyes.

"Why?" I asked closing them anyway.

"Cause I want you to get the full impact." She said guiding me into the bedroom. She walked me across the room and stopped me in front of what I think is the wardrobe.

"Okay, open." Martha said. I opened my eyes and hanging in front of me was the most beautiful white dress ever (other than my wedding dress of course). It had white dotted mesh bit at the top and a sweetheart neckline on the dress bit with soft pleats and an above the knee hemline **(pic on blog)**.

"Martha, I-I don't know what to say. It's beautiful." I said struggling to find the words.

"I just wanted to get you something special." She said giving me a hug.

"Now come on! Let's get it on you and quickly do your hair and makeup and then we can go to your party!" Martha said clapping her hands.

After Martha curled my hair into soft, messy waves and put my makeup on we jumped into my car and drove off to the hotel that Kit and Tasha were staying at.

"Hey girls!" Martha said as we walked in.

"The bride-to-be has arrived!" The room was decorated with soft pink and white streamers with balloons everywhere. And standing in the middle of the room were Tasha, Sally, Cassie, Marilyn, Ruby, Indigo, Hayley, Sophia, Irene, Leah and even Ella, Summer- Rose and little Pippa were there with someone who I assumed was a babysitter. Kit noticed me glancing at my nieces worriedly and said,

"Don't worry; they just wanted to see you first. They are going to go down the hall to Tasha and Robbie's suite and the babysitter will look after them."

I sighed in relief. I walked over to the girls who were eating pink and white iced cupcakes.

"Hi sweethearts, thank you for coming to see Aunt Mattie."

"You look pretty." Ella said looking up at me with icing all around her mouth. Tasha was laughing behind me.

"Thanks Ella." I said picking her up and giving you a kiss.

"Okay girls, time to say goodbye to everyone." Cassie said scooping up Summer-Rose. Tasha was going over last minute details with the babysitter. Cassie reached out for Ella's and Pippa's hands and said.

"Okay, say bye to Aunt Mattie, time to go."

"Bye Aunty Mattie!" the girls sung out.

Bye girls." I said giving them little kisses on their foreheads. Cassie and the babysitter walked towards the door the little girls waving goodbye to everyone. Leah closed the door behind them.

"Now it's time to party!" Kit called out. She grabbed some wine glasses from out of the cupboard and starting pouring the champagne. Ruby handed me a glass.

"Okay everyone!" Martha yelled out tapping her glass.

I'd like to propose a toast! To Ric, for FINALLY popping the question and to Mattie, for this amazing party we get to have because she said yes!" she said raising her glass.

"To Ric and Mattie!" everyone said taking a sip.

"Now, there are a few things on the list, we are going to start with the least energetic, PRESENTS!" Kit said.

After opening presents (I got quite a bit of interesting lingerie) and playing silly hen's night games like making toilet paper wedding dresses (Me, Martha and Indigo won that one) and seeing how well I know Ric, we jumped into a taxi van and headed out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. After spending a good couple of hours there we went out to a night club, not just any night club, but a strip club. After laughing so hard, swinging around on poles with some of the dancers and being amazingly embarrassed, we went back to the hotel and had some more drinks. At around 2am, Irene (who was sober) called a few taxi's and got us home.

Sally, Martha, Cassie, Ruby, Marilyn and I stumbled and giggled loudly as we got inside the house. They left a light on downstairs for us and we were all tripping over each other in our heels as we walked (or dragged) ourselves up the stairs. We all loudly whispered our goodnights to each other and fell into our rooms. I slowly tried to close the door quietly but it made a bang anyway. I shuffled over to the bed and saw Ric sleeping soundly with his bull horn hat still on his head. I picked it up and slowly put it on the ground and then climbed in next to him.

"Mattie? Is that you?" he whispered groaning a bit.

"Yep." I giggled

"Hi." He whispered rolling over to face me but still keeping his eyes shut.

"Hi." I replied kissing him on the forehead.

"I missed you." He whispered opening one eye.

"I missed you too." I replied giving him a little smile and curling up beside him.

"Did you have fun?" I asked softly as his arms snaked around my waist.

"Yeah, but I couldn't wait to be back here with you.

"Aww, that's sweet." I cooed resting my arms on his.

"I love you." He said yawning.

I love you too." I replied smiling

"And I can't wait for you to be my wife." He said softly kissing my neck.

"Neither can I." I replied closing my eyes.

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><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please Review, it would mean so much to get some feedback. Thanks for Reading!<strong>

**(to view a picture of Mattie's dress, there is a link to my blog on my profile, check it out, it's beautiful)**

**Was considering not continuing this story. Please let me know if you would me to keep going. There is a poll on my profile. Thanks guys!**

**Elise x**


	16. Chapter 16 Last Night of Freedom Pt1

**Hi Everyone! Sorry I have been so slack with the updating. Thanks to all that voted in the poll, and as you can see, I will be continuing with this story. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 16 – Last Night of Freedom Pt.1**

**RicPOV**

"So are you ready mate?" Kim asked as we lugged my stuff into his car. All of my groomsmen and I were going to stay in a hotel and Mattie and the girls were staying in the house.

"Yeah, I think so." I replied throwing my bags into the boot and hanging up my tux.

"One day to go." Kim said closing the door.

"You getting nervous?" he asked.

"Nah." I said.

"I'm getting a bit excited actually."

"I can see that mate, you haven't wiped that grin of your face the entire day!" Kim said laughing. I shrugged.

"Okay, so I'll take this stuff back to the hotel and you're coming later right?" he said.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna spend some time with Mattie before tomorrow." I said

"Okay then, I'll be off. See you later." Kim said and jumped into his car. I ran back towards the house. I saw Granddad sitting at the table.

"Hey Granddad." I said

"Hiya Ric!" he replied

"Aren't you supposed to be heading off with Kim to the hotel?" he asked.

"Yeah, but Mattie and I are going to go for a quick trip out on the Blaxland before I go. We just want to spend a bit of time together before tomorrow." I said.

"That's sounds good Ric, just make sure you get to the hotel later though, I think the boys have something planned." Granddad said.

"Okay," I replied.

"What time are you heading over there?" I asked

"I'll probably go get some dinner at the diner and then go over around 7o'clock. Wouldn't want to be hanging around here with all the women in the house!" Granddad said chuckling.

"Me neither." I said laughing.

"Ric! You ready!" I heard Mattie call from upstairs.

"Ready when you are!" I yelled back.

"Well, you two have fun." Granddad said taking a sip of coffee.

"We will." I said as Mattie came in

"I'll see you later Granddad." I said.

"Bye Mr Stewart." Mattie said giving him a hug.

"See you tomorrow." She added.

"Bye love." Granddad said smiling. I took Mattie's hand as we walked out the door.

"You ready?" I asked holding my hands over Matilda's eyes as we walked down the boat ramp.

"Yeah." She said cautiously. I could tell she was trying not to trip over.

"Okay, here we go." I said and uncovered her eyes. She gasped.

"Ric, it's beautiful." She said gazing at the boat. I had strung fairy lights around it and had a set table with candles out on the deck. I jumped in and turned around to help her in. She gasped looking down at the food I had put out on the table.

"It's-its Irene's chocolate pie thingy!" she mumbled.

"I re-created our first proper date." I said grinning.

"Oh Ric that's so sweet! I can't believe you remembered!" she said throwing her arms around me.

"Of course I remembered!" I said. She took my face in her hands.

"I love you so much, you know that?"

"I love you too babe." I said kissing her.

**MattiePOV**

"Well, I guess this is it." Ric said.

"Yep, the next time we see each other; it'll be our wedding day!" I said smiling.

"Can't wait." Ric said pulling me towards him.

"I love you Mattie." He said

"Love you too Ric." I replied. He moved his lips towards mine and kissed me.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He whispered cupping my face in his hands.

"Bye." I said as he kissed me again before hopping into his car.

"See you tomorrow Mrs Dalby!" he yelled out the window as he drove off. I waved until the car was out of sight.

"Hey Mattie!" I heard someone call. I turned around to see Martha standing on the back porch.

"We're going to get our nails done! You coming?" she yelled out.

"Yep, coming!" I replied and ran up towards the house.

All of us girls were lined up in a row. All of my bridesmaids, Cassie, Kit and Tasha, as well as Martha, Roo and Sally were getting our nails done for the wedding.

"So Mattie, are you getting nervous yet?" Sally asked.

"Maybe just a little." I replied

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

"Are you getting cold feet?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. Just normal stuff like, what if I trip on my dress, or what if I forgot something or the florist sends the wrong bouquets. Just things like that." I said.

"Well, if it helps, we have ALL double checked everything and I called the florist this morning to remind her about the flowers. You have nothing to be worried about. It's all sorted." Cassie said.

"Thanks Cass." I said smiling.

"Always." She said smiling back.

"Okay, your nails are done, would you please come over to the chairs so we can start you pedicure." the woman said.

"Here's to your last night of freedom" Martha said raising her glass.

"Cheers!" everyone said clinking their glasses together.

"Okay okay! Speech time!" I said standing up.

"So first off I would like to thank you all for helping me with this wedding. I don't think I would have been able to do this without any of you." I turned to Sally.

"Sally, thank you for always being here for me when I needed it and being so wonderful and thoughtful. Thank you for being such a great support after mum passed and I love you so much."

"Martha, thank you for letting me be your roommate that one time and putting up with me and Ric being there ALL THE TIME!" everyone chuckled. "Thank you for keeping me on track with the wedding and keeping Ric in his place. Thank you for coming all the way back to Summer Bay to help out and be here for the wedding."

"Tasha, thank you for being the one of the best sisters in law ever and booking the first flight you could out here after you heard the news, thank you for always being supportive of me and Ric and thank you for agreeing to be one of my bridesmaids."

"Kit. Thank you for being such a wonderful sister. I hope you know just how much it means to me that you are here. Thank you for being my rock after mum died even though I know it was hurting you too, and thank you for not yelling at me too badly after I got really drunk that one time at Drew's party on the beach." Everyone laughed. "Thank you for being the first person down here and coming with me everywhere to look at wedding stuff. I love you."

"Cassie, thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for always watching out for me. Thank you for being a good listener when I needed it, thank you for helping me out and being my shoulder to cry on in all those bad times. Thank you for being the person I could call whenever I needed it, even if it was in the middle of the nigh and you were in Thailand. And I can't thank you enough for trying hard to get me and Ric together in the first place."

Roo, thank you for coming with me wedding shopping and being so supportive, thank you for being so welcoming.

"Ruby and Marilyn, thank you for allowing me and Ric to come back into the house and listening to me rave about wedding stuff.

Without all of you, and all the rest of my friends here in the bay, I wouldn't be where I am today. So thank you from the bottom of my heart all for being here for Ric and I on our wedding day. I love you all so much."

I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.

"Oh guys, I didn't mean for you all to cry!" I said running and grabbing a box of tissues. I passed them around giving everyone a hug as they grabbed a tissue. After everyone had fixed themselves up, and Marilyn poured everyone another glass of wine, Kit and Cassie stood up.

"Mattie, we are all so proud of you, and I know Mum would be proud of you too." Kit said.

"She loved you and she loved Ric, and I'm sure she is looking down on you with so much love and pride." Cassie added.

"When Tony came the other day he gave me something which he said Mum was saving for you on your wedding day." Kit said handing me a small, red, velvet box. I opened it and saw the most beautiful bracelet ever. It was a chunky silver chain bracelet with a diamond cut into the shape of a heart dangling off it.

"It's beautiful." I said gasping.

"He said she got it around the same time she got your necklace for when you went off to Uni." I touched the pendant on my neck.

"She was proud of you Mattie, all of us were." Kit said a tear sliding down her face as she smiled.

"Thank you Kit." I said giving her a hug.

"You're welcome Mattie." She replied. Cassie stepped forward.

"And from the rest of us," she said holding out another larger box with a ribbon around it.

"Oh you guys!" I said turning and facing everyone.

"You didn't have to get me anything!"

"Oh love, we wanted to! It's just a little something" Roo said.

"Yeah Mattie. Just open it!' Ruby said. Sally gave me a reassuring look and nodded. I sighed and slowly removed the ribbon. I opened the box and saw, lying on top of layers of tissue, an envelope and four things.

"What's all this?" I asked

"Open the card Mattie!" Cassie said excitedly. I took the card out of the envelope and it read, "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue." I said out loud.

"Thank you everyone! That's really sweet of you guys!"

Cassie walked over and pulled the first item out of the box. It was a piece of white lace ribbon.

"We got this from an old vintage fabric store to tie around your bouquet, so this is your something old," Cassie said handing it to me.

"This is your something new." She said handing me a gorgeous smelling perfume.

"This was in Mum's bouquet Mattie." Kit said handing me a dried white rose.

"So it's something borrowed." Cassie added. She picked up the last item. A bottle of blue nail polish.

"And last of all, something blue." Sally said smiling. I felt a tear running down my face.

"Thank you so much everyone. It means a lot." I said smiling.

"Group hug!" Roo yelled out and everyone jumped out of their seats and moved towards each other.

"This calls for another toast!" Martha said.

"To Mattie, a toast to love, laughter and a happily ever after!" she said raising her wine glass in the air.

"To Mattie!" everyone chimed.

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><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please <em><span>review<span>_ and let me know what you think, it's great to have feedback.  
>The next chapter will be Part 2 with Ric's evening at the hotel with the boys.<strong>

**Thanks for reading! Elise xox**


	17. Chapter 17 Last Night of Freedom Pt2

**Hey everyone. Sorry for the major delay. Had completely forgotten about this story but decided to quickly update it. Just a short chapter this time but I hope you like what's going to be coming up next! Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 17 – Last Night of Freedom Pt.2**

**Ric POV**

The elevator dinged as I reached my floor. Granddad, as part of his gift to me, got the penthouse suite for me and all my groomsmen. As I walked towards the room door I heard music playing loudly from the other side. I groaned. I hope they didn't organize anything too weird. I turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door. I took a quick look in and breathed a sigh of relief. All I saw was a bar in the corner and all the boys standing around having laugh and talking with each other.

"Ric!" Lucas called waving me over to where he, Kim and Robbie were all standing.

"Come have a drink." He said handing me a beer.

"Thanks mate." I said popping open the cap.

"We know you didn't really want a big fuss." Kim said.

"So we are trying to keep it low key."

"Thanks guys." I said taking a swig of beer.

After another couple of rounds and a bunch of laughs with the boys, Granddad showed up with some stuff that I had him keep hidden away for me. I took my groomsmen aside and handed them each a box.

"What's this?" Henry asked.

"Just open it." Ric said.

"It from me and Mattie." I added. They opened the boxes to find two carefully packaged gifts. Matilda had decided that she wanted to give our bridal party a couple of little gifts to say thanks. The bridesmaids each got pearl earrings each with their own individual little touches and decorative monogrammed candles. The boys each had little personalized flasks with their initials on them and their own unique cufflinks.

"Thanks Ric!" Robbie said.

"Is this for when the ceremony gets a bit boring, eh?" Lucas said chuckling holding up the flask.

"Yeah something like that." I laughed.

"Thanks mate." Henry said.

"And thank Mattie too, in case we don't get much time with her after the wedding.

"Will do boys." I said.

The night ended early as most of the boys would be getting up early to help set up for the wedding tomorrow. I had just yelled out goodnight to Granddad and headed off to my room. I flopped onto my bed and pulled out my phone. I had a message from Mattie. It said "Hope you had fun tonight with the boys. Can't wait for tomorrow. I love you, Mattie." I sighed. This was it. Tomorrow was the big day. I was more than ready. I scrolled down through my contacts until I found the one I needed. I pressed call and waited.

"Hello?" A voice mumbled from the other end of the line.

"Hi baby." I said.

"Sorry, did I wake you." I added.

"No, I wasn't fully asleep anyway." Mattie said.

"Okay, I'll be quick then. I just wanted to say that I love you and can't wait to see you tomorrow." I said as a little smile crept to my face.

"I love you too Ric." Mattie replied.

"And I can't wait to finally be your wife."

"It's been a long time coming." I said thinking back to when we first started dating.

"It was a bumpy road, but we've finally made it." She said

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." I said. I heard Mattie faintly yawn.

"I think it's time you get a bit of beauty sleep Mrs Dalby. I'll see you tomorrow." I said while rolling over to lie on my back.

"Okay, you're probably right. I'll see you at the altar Mr Dalby. I love you." She said yawning again.

"And I love you." I replied.

"Goodnight babe." She whispered softly and I heard the click of her hanging up. I sighed softly and put my phone on the bedside table. This is my last night of freedom. And I was excited to be starting a new chapter in my life.

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><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was a bit short but I will hopefully make up for it in the next one. Stay tuned as the best bits are to come!<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**

**Elise x**


	18. Chapter 18 Getting Ready

**Hi guys. Here's the next chapter! We are one step closer to the big event! Don't forget to check out all pictures related to this story at . Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! (Please Review. Much appreciated)**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 18**

**Mattie POV – Getting Ready**

I rolled over in my sleep and tried to cuddle up to Ric. I felt an empty space next to me. Then I remembered. Today is my wedding day.

I slowly eased myself out of bed and walked over to the window and pulled the curtains. Light poured into the room. 'Thank goodness', I thought to myself. Not a grey cloud in sight.

"Knock Knock." I heard someone call from outside the door.

"Come in!" I replied. Cassie walked through the door.

"Good morning sunshine! Ready for your big day?" she asked giving me a hug.

"I think so." I replied smiling.

"Okay, so Roo and Marilyn are making breakfast; we have a big day ahead of us!" Cassie said and I pulled on my robe as we headed downstairs.

"Morning everyone!" I said as I walked into the kitchen.

"Morning Mattie!" Marilyn chimed

"Good morning Mattie! Would you like some toast?" Roo asked

"That would be great thanks." I said sitting down at the table. I had some breakfast and then went over to the big white boxes to check on the flowers.

"All present and accounted for!" Cassie said. Ruby came running in through the door carrying two boxes.

"Here are your shoes Mattie." She said handing them to me. I had decided that it would be too hard to walk in heels in the sand, so I had gotten two pairs of shoes. A pair of flat sandals for the beach, and a pair of heels for the reception. The flats had a white strap on them and tulle flower-like ripples down the front and the heels were nude colored Mary-Jane style stilettos. **(see pic on blog)**

"Thanks Rubes." I said.

"We're here!" I heard someone call out. I turned around and saw Kit, Tasha and Ella coming in carrying dress bags.

"Sorry we're a bit late." Kit said giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"We had to drop Archie off with the 'men' because he said he didn't want to be around all the girls the whole day." She added.

"Fair enough." I laughed. Martha and Sally came walking in carrying a big box of curling and straightening irons and lots of other hair stuff.

Come on guys! We have to get going!" She said as she started to set things up.

**Ric POV**

"Okay, so put the chairs in neat rows boys!" Granddad called out. I chuckled. Kim and Robbie were putting out chairs, Lucas was talking to the celebrant and tying flowers onto the canopy at the altar and Henry was lining the aisle with rose petals and hanging jars of flowers onto the aisle seats **(see pic on blog)**.

"Looking good boys!" I called out. I walked over towards Lucas and started setting up the table next to the canopy for signing the papers.

"So are you ready Ric?" Lucas said.

"Yeah, I so mate." I replied giving him a grin.

The ceremony space was done in no time and the reception at the surf club was being set up and decorated by Leah and John Palmer so all that was left to do was go back to the hotel and get ready. I made a quick detour on the way back with Granddad though to check on my surprise for Mattie for when we came back after the honeymoon. Everything was good to go. In a few hours I was going to be a very happy man.

**Mattie POV**

The next two hours were spent getting everyone's hair and makeup done. My bridesmaids were having curled up dos with a pink orchid and Cassie was getting the same up do with a pale pink rose. Ella and Summer-Rose were getting their hair curled with a flower halo style headband made from the same pink roses and orchids.

I heard squealing coming from the stairs and saw Sally coming down with the girls. Little Pippa had flown in yesterday because she had been staying with Pippa in the city.

"Look Aunty Mattie!" Ella said as she and Summer-Rose swirled around in their flower girl dresses.

"You look beautiful girls." I said giving all three of the little ones a big kiss.

Marilyn was putting the finishing touches to my hair and adding the veil in underneath. My hair was wavy and in a soft bun with Mum's dried white rose tucked into it.

"There! All done!" she said. Kit smiled.

"You look so beautiful Mattie." She said tears coming to her eyes. Tasha and Cassie were standing behind her and were starting to tear up a little too.

"Thanks guys." I said standing up and walking over to give everyone a hug. I heard a gasp behind me. I turned around to see Tony and Rachel. Tony's mouth was gaping open.

"Tony!" I said running over and giving him a hug.

"You look beautiful Matilda." He said giving me a tight squeeze.

"Thank you." I said.

"You are going to knock Ric's socks off." Rachel said giving me a quick hug too.

"That's the plan!" I said laughing.

"Well, the limos are here everyone." Tony said.

"Okay, Mattie. Ruby and I will be heading off. See you all there." Marilyn said grabbing her purse and blowing us air kisses.

"Bye!" everyone chimed after them.

"So the first car is having Sally, Martha, Rachel, Pippa, Ella and Summer-Rose. And the second limo is for Me, Kit, Tasha, Tony and Mattie." Cassie said reading from her checklist.

"Okay, this is it Mattie sweetheart." Sally said giving me a hug.

"We will see you when you get there." Martha said as she and Rachel grabbed the girls and headed out to the car. We waved as they went out and then Tasha headed over to the kitchen and poured some champagne. She handed us each a glass and raised hers in the air for a toast.

"To Mattie and Ric and to finally tying the knot!" she said

"Cheers to that." Tony said as we all clinked our glasses.

"You ready love?" Tony said after we finished our champagne.

"I think I am Tony." I said giving him a smile.

"You mother would have been so proud of you today. You and Ric." He said a small tear in his eyes.

"I know." I whispered giving him a hug.

"You ready?" Cassie called out as she, Kit and Tasha grabbed our purses and other bits and pieces.

"Yep!" I said dabbing away my tear.

"Let's go." Kit said giving me a smile as we walked out to the Limo.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please Read and Review! Let me know what you think so far.<strong>

**Thanks for reading, Elise x**

*** To see pictures there is a link to my blog on my profile.**


	19. Chapter 19 The Big Day

**Hi Everyone! Sorry for the extremely long wait for this chapter. It is the one you have all been waiting for! Hope you enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Home and Away or any of the characters. Just the ideas**

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><p><strong>The Return<strong>

**Chapter 19 - The Big Day**

**Ric POV - It's Time**

"You ready?" Lucas asked putting a hand on my shoulder.

"More than ready." I said grinning. I looked out in front of me as I saw our friends and family talking and laughing with each other in their seats.

"Everything's ready." Henry said coming up behind me.

"Thanks Henry." I replied.

"Hey, shouldn't Scott be with Mattie? Isn't he giving her away?" I asked Lucas as I saw him milling around the end of the aisle with Hayley.

"Yeah, he is." Luke replied.

"Dad and Scott are both giving her away, but he decided to meet her when she gets here."

"Oh, okay." I said.

"They are on their way." Robbie said walking up to us and slipping his phone into his pocket.

"Would everyone please start taking their seats, the bride will be here shortly!" the minister said before giving me a quick smile.

"Ready Ric?" she asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I replied.

**Mattie POV**

"You ready Mattie?" Cassie said as she took my hand.

"I'm ready" I said giving it a squeeze.

"We are so proud of you love." Tony said giving me a smile.

"Thanks Tony." I said smiling back.

"Okay, Scott is going to meet us when we get there." Kit said putting her phone back into her purse.

"Sounds good." I said as a looked down at the bouquet in my hands. Today is the day I will marry the love of my life. The person that I have shared so many memories with. The person I will share many more with. My best friend and partner in crime, my shoulder to cry on and someone to laugh with. I will become Mrs Dalby.

"What are you smiling at?" Kit asked looking at the little grin on my face.

"I'm just excited that's all." I said looking up at her.

"Not nervous?" Tasha asked.

"No actually. I'm feeling really calm." I said

"That's good. Of all people that should be calm, it's the bride!" Tony said chuckling.

"We're here!" the driver called out.

"Good luck." Cassie said.

"Thanks Cass" I replied. The driver came around to open the door. Kit and Tasha grabbed their bouquets and slid out the door. Cassie gave me a quick wink and followed suit.

"Hey Mattie." Scott said poking his head in and giving me a smile.

"Hi." I said as he took my hand and helped me out of the car. Tony came around my other side and I put my hand through his arm. I heard the music start to play. I watched as Ella and Summer –Rose started scattering their petals. Kit and Henry followed behind them. Robbie and Tasha gave each other a quick smile as they linked arms and walked behind them. Cassie turned and gave me a smile before she and Lucas went up. My grip tightened around Scott and Tony's arms as the music changed.

"It's time." Tony whispered as we started walking towards the aisle.

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><p><strong><span>Ric POV<span>**

I smiled back at Cassie as she and Lucas separated and I saw Mattie standing at the end of the aisle with Scott and Tony on her arms. I felt a tear come to my eye. She looked beautiful. Everybody stood as the wedding march started. The looked right into my eyes and gave me the biggest smile. I couldn't take my eyes off her as she walked towards me. When she got to the end she broke my gaze as she turned to give Tony a hug. She then turned to Scott.

**Mattie POV**

"I love you." I whispered into Scott's ear as I hugged him

"You to baby sis." He whispered back holding me tightly before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. Ric stepped towards us. Tony and Scott both took my hand and placed it into Ric's outstretched palm. I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine. I felt completely at home with him. We turned to face the minister.

"You may now kiss your bride." The minister said as she stepped aside. Ric smiled and cupped my face in his hands.

"I love you." He said softly as he brought his face to mine. Everyone cheered as our lips touched. The kiss was sweet and gentle; it was the perfect first kiss as a married couple. We broke our kiss and turned to face our friends and family.

"I will now introduce to you all, for the first time, Mr and Mrs, Eric and Matilda Dalby!" the minister said. I grabbed Ric's hand as we walked back down the aisle, everybody cheering and throwing rose petals.

We walked down to the little table set up at the back to sign the papers.

"It's official now babe. Can't get rid of me now." Ric said grinning as he signed his name.

"And why would I ever want to?" I replied giggling as I signed my new name, which I have been practicing ever since we got engaged. Our "witness", Cassie signed too and then pulled us both into a hug.

"Congrats you guys." She said

"Thanks Cass." I said smiling.

"Today has been perfect."

"You're welcome Mattie. And it's not over yet!" she said giving me a final hug.

"Ric! Mattie! Time for pictures!" Sally called out, waving us over onto the beach.

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><p>The reception was perfect. Mr Stewart, with the help of most of the groomsmen and some of our other friends had decorated the Surf Club and Brax had offered us use of the restaurant too so there was plenty of space for all our guests. It was perfect. It was better than what I had ever dreamed. Ric and I were surrounded by our friends and families in a place that we loved, and best of all, Ric and I were finally, after many years of ups and downs, husband and wife. That really was the icing on the cake.<p>

We were going to put of the real honeymoon for a bit, so we could enjoy just being back home, and being married.

"I love you Mattie." Ric whispered into my ear that night when we were all cuddled up under our favorite purple doona.

"I love you too Ric." I replied giving him a soft kiss on the lips and nestling my head into his chest.

"It's so good to be home." He said, and reached over to turn out the light.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Please review it would mean so much to me. I have decided to end this story here. I may do a sequel to this, but I haven't decided yet. Or maybe even a more in-depth view of the wedding or reception itself. Let me know in the reviews if you would like me to do so. Thanks for sticking with me!<strong>

**Elise :)**


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